Does anything ever really change in baseball?

It seems like all we have heard the last few years is how the baseball games have gotten longer and we need to find ways to speed up the game. I agree that the games are longer, but is this something new? How about how the game is played today, with the “home run” being king?

According to a article by Charles Johnson in the Tribune on June 11, 1961 they had the same issues and gripes back then. I have followed baseball since the late 1950’s and when I complain about the game I say we should go back to when I thought baseball was more fun, back in the 50’s and 60’s. But Charley is complaining about how the game was played back then. Yes, the games are longer, TV is to blame for some of this, but has the game really changed that much?

I think one of my favorite statements that Charley Johnson makes is –

Strange as it may seem, the spectator’s aren’t leading the fight to find ways and means of shortening their stay in the stands. It’s coming largely from sports writers, players, managers, club and league officials.

Yankee manager Ralph Houk inspects the jacket of Twins manager Cookie Lavagetto prior to the Twins first ever game, played April 11, 1961 at Yankee Stadium. Twins win 6-0.

I couldn’t help but laugh when I ran across this article as I was doing research on the Minnesota Twins 1961 season. Right now I am in mid June of 1961, the Twins just finished a 13 game losing streak and the Twins skipper Cookie Lavagetto has been put on “furlough” by owner Calvin Griffith. What the heck? Who used the word furlough before this COVID-19 business happened? Apparently the Twins did back in 1961.

 

 

Star Tribune Sun_ Jun_11_1961.pdf

Have a wonderful day and stay safe and healthy.

 

 

Twins players with 1,000 or more hits on their Twins resume

Kirby Puckett

The Minnesota Twins have had many great hitters over the years but how many of them have had 1,000 or more hits while wearing a Minnesota Twins uniform? There has been just 14 of them, do you think you can name them all off the top of your head? Grab a pencil and paper and write down their names and see how many of them you can name. Feel free to leave a comment on how you did. When you are all done, click on the link below to see the entire list.

https://tinyurl.com/ya7dprth

Did any of the names on this list surprise you? How many of these players did you get to see play when they were active Twins players? What Twins player didn’t you get to see play that you would have enjoyed watching?

Bob Allison just missed getting on this list with 999 hits while Jacque Jones with 974 hits and Brian Dozier with 928 hits were the others with over 900 hits but under 1,000.

Have a great day and stay safe and healthy during this difficult time as we pass the time waiting for the COVID19 issue to pass.

What? No Harmon Killebrew on my Top 10 lists?

Harmon Killebrew

The Minnesota Twins signed Marwin Gonzalez as a free agent in February 2019 because he could play a number of positions and he was a solid player both with his glove and his bat. The Twins plan was to play Gonzalez most every day at a different position to give manager Rocco Baldelli the flexibility to give the regulars a day off on a regular basis. Hopefully that plan would allow for more rest for the “regulars” throughout the season. Gonzalez ended up playing in 114 games with appearances in the OF (59), 3B (40), 1B (21), DH (3), 2B (2) and 1B (1).

Some time ago I did a series of posts that I called my “Top 10 lists” about the best Twins players at each position and Harmon Killebrew did not make the cut in any of the positions. How is it possible you ask that a Hall of Famer that played 1,939 games in Twins colors (and 390 more as a Washington Senator) is not the best player at any position? The simple answer is that Harmon Killebrew did not play at least 51% of his games at any one position and that was an arbitrary figure that I chose to see who qualified at a position.

Continue reading What? No Harmon Killebrew on my Top 10 lists?

Baseball Digest archives now available for free online

If you are a baseball fan you must have read and or subscribed to the Baseball Digest at one time or another and now you have a chance to read it again for FREE. Not just current issues but all the issues going back to 1942. Long before the computers, cell phones and the internet came into existence the Baseball Digest and the Sporting News were your go to places to read about baseball and its players. I subscribe to the Baseball Digest Archives but now everyone can access it at no cost. Thank you Baseball Digest!

As fans await the return of baseball on the field, Baseball Digest will unlock its archive and make its complete inventory of more than 800 issues from 1942 through 2019 available for free online.Unlimited access to the archive site at no cost will continue until at least July 15 and fans can take advantage of the free offer by visiting baseballdigest.com/free.

Stay Home With SABR initiative launched

This is an e-mail I received as a SABR member today so I thought that I would share it. If you are a baseball fan and have ever wondered what SABR is all about this might be a good time to check it out.

SABR logo

Stay Home With SABR!

MARCH 31, 2020 — SABR has announced the Stay Home With SABR initiative, an eight-week effort from April 1 to May 31, 2020, to assist in limiting the spread of the COVID-19 coronavirus pandemic.

During this time, all new membership dues SABR receives will be split with Heart to Heart International, a nonprofit organization that distributes urgently needed equipment and medication to partners around the world during this global crisis.

Beginning next week, SABRcast with Rob Neyer will be recorded via online livestream, featuring nationally known guests plus an interactive Q&A in which all baseball fans can participate. The first live show, which will feature ESPN announcer Jon “Boog” Sciambi, will air at 5:00 p.m. MST on Monday, April 6 at SABR.org/sabrcast and the archives will be available online afterward.

SABR will also share all virtual meetings with our members throughout the world at SABR.org and our social media channels. SABR’s Emil Rothe Chicago Chapter will host Facebook Live chats at Facebook.com/SABRChicago with The Athletic’s Melissa Lockard at 3:00 p.m. CDT on Saturday, April 4; author Scott Lindholm at 2:00 p.m. CDT on Sunday, April 5; and Negro League Baseball Museum president Bob Kendrick at 11:00 a.m. CDT on Saturday, April 11.

Thousands of articles, stories, oral history interviews, and multimedia clips from SABR’s vast research collection — including free e-books from the SABR Digital Library, the Baseball Research Journal archives, and the Baseball Biography Project and Games Project — are already freely available for all baseball fans to read and share with neighbors, friends, and family.  

“While current circumstances have changed how our community engages, I’m confident SABR and its members will emerge stronger than ever,” SABR Chief Executive Officer Scott Bush said. “We are asking baseball fans across the world to join us by staying home and supporting this effort through membership if possible.” 

To learn more about SABR, or to sign up for a monthly or annual membership, visit SABR.org.

Please be careful, stay healthy and help one another

Just a quick note to remind everyone to be careful out there in this difficult time with the COVID-19 virus running amok. Many of us miss baseball but we need to remember that in the end it is just a game and entertainment and there are many more things in life that are more important. Do what you can to stay healthy yourself and help others stay healthy too. Just like a baseball team, each of us is a player and we each have a role to play. Help your friends and family and we will get through this together. Thank you and have a great day!

Twins/Senators franchise leaders in games with 10> K’s

Walter Johnson
Results
Rk Player #Matching   W L W-L% ERA GS CG SHO IP HR BB SO Tm
1 Walter Johnson 46 Ind. Games 36 8 .818 0.51 45 45 13 441.1 1 92 513 WSH
2 Camilo Pascual 40 Ind. Games 27 11 .711 1.97 40 30 8 357.0 15 113 448 WSH,MIN
3 Johan Santana 39 Ind. Games 26 6 .813 1.93 39 2 1 289.0 34 45 442 MIN
4 Bert Blyleven 36 Ind. Games 21 12 .636 1.68 36 24 5 306.0 11 66 406 MIN
5 Jim Kaat 19 Ind. Games 17 1 .944 1.50 18 15 3 174.0 8 33 205 MIN
6 Dave Boswell 14 Ind. Games 12 1 .923 2.12 14 8 2 119.0 12 32 157 MIN
7 Frank Viola 12 Ind. Games 7 2 .778 2.23 12 2 0 93.0 8 23 124 MIN
8 Francisco Liriano 11 Ind. Games 6 2 .750 1.48 11 0 0 79.0 3 18 122 MIN
9 Dean Chance 9 Ind. Games 8 0 1.000 1.11 9 8 3 81.0 2 11 97 MIN
10 Jose Berrios 9 Ind. Games 8 1 .889 0.53 9 1 0 67.2 0 6 96 MIN
11 Eric Milton 8 Ind. Games 7 1 .875 1.89 8 2 2 62.0 4 8 88 MIN
Provided by Baseball-Reference.com: View Play Index Tool Used
Generated 3/14/2020.

Some pretty good pitchers on this list. One of the items that just jumps out at me is the fact that Walter Johnson gave up just one home run in the games that he pitched and struck out 10> while Johan Santana gave up 34 blasts during his 10> K games. Do you think that Bert Blyleven knows that Johan Santana has more 10 strikeout games in a Twins uniform then he does? If you want to see something interesting click on the Ind. Games link for Walter Johnson and check out how many of his complete games were extra inning efforts.

Checking out Kenta Maeda and his first Twins workout

Twins pitchers and catchers hard at work

I went out to the CenturyLink Sports complex yesterday to check out the pitchers and catchers and to see new Twins acquisition Kenta Maeda in his Twins spring training workout debut. I didn’t see anything extraordinary out there but no question there were more Japanese photographers out there then I have seen since Tsuyoshi Nishioka made his grand appearance back in 2011. I am expecting better results from Maeda then we got from Nishioka.

Continue reading Checking out Kenta Maeda and his first Twins workout

Looking at the Twins single game ticket prices for 2020

The 2019 Twins improved by 23 games over the previous season by winning 101 games under first time manager Rocco Baldelli. Along the way the Twins set numerous team records including scoring an amazing 939 runs and hitting an MLB record 307 home runs. The Bomba Squad had Twins fans excited from game 1 through game 162 and attendance jumped back above the 2.2 million mark making it only the second time since they began play in Target Field in 2010 that attendance has gone up from the previous season. Yes, the Twins made the playoffs but were quickly dispatched in three games in the ALDS by the New York Yankees stretching the Twins losing streak in playoff games to a record breaking 16 games going back to 2004. So what impact did the 2019 season have on Twins ticket prices heading into 2020?

All I am going to say right here is that if you are going to head out to Target Field to watch the winning MInnesota Twins in 2020 you will need to pay a little bit more. If you want to see the details, you can check them on my Twins Ticket Price History page.

Deal or No Deal?

Late on February 4th rumors started swirling that the Boston Red Sox had finally moved Mookie Betts to the Los Angeles Dodgers. The deal supposedly also involved the Twins and in the deal Minnesota traded arguably their top pitching prospect Brusdar Graterol to the Dodgers who then flipped him to the Red Sox.

Brusdar Graterol
Continue reading Deal or No Deal?