Hooray!

Well, we’ve made it. It’s finally Opening Day.

Yes Opening Day, a tradition that goes back to…well, the first day of baseball I guess.

Wait, let me try out my Jim Nantz voice: A tradition unlike any other, Opening Day on CBS. (Even though CBS doesn’t seem to have baseball. Though if they did, I’m sure Jim Nantz would be broadcasting it.)

Alright, here are some of my favorite moments from the first day of baseball seasons past.

Let’s start back on April 16, 1940 when Rapid Robert Feller tossed the only no-hitter in Opening Day history. The 21-year-old Feller shut down the Chicago White Sox on this day, the first of his career high 27 wins that season. His offense didn’t help much, giving him only a run to work with, but clearly that was enough.

Moving ahead, how about Hank Aaron tying Babe Ruth’s all-time home run record back on Opening Day 1974? He sat out the next day to further his chances of breaking the mark at home, which he did four days later on April 8. There’s something special about hitting a milestone at the beginning of the season. I remember going to see Sammy Sosa play while he was sitting on 498 home runs back in September of 2002. I certainly wanted to see him get the two dingers while I was in the park, but ultimately, it was much nicer for everyone when he ended the season at 499. The Cubs were dead, hanging around last place when I went to that game. At the beginning of 2003, things were different. People actually cared about the team and the 500th home run was just part of the exciting April as opposed to being a footnote to most fans if it had occurred at the end of a boring cellar dwelling-season.

Speaking of the Cubs, who can forget Tuffy Rhodes’ magical performance on April 4, 1994 to open that season? 3 home runs were hit by the man who hit only ten others in his career. He went on to became a great slugger in the Japanese League.

Those are some of my favorite Opening Day moments. Are there other great ones? Let me know.

I know of course that there are lots of other great ones. Opening Day itself is great because everyone is in first place (though not anymore) and more importantly, we finally get to see some baseball, a game we will undoubtedly grow very tired of within a few months. But not yet! Happy Opening Day everyone!

Even More Fun with Numbers

My last couple of blog posts have gotten me thinking a little bit more about baseball numbers. My present thought is about what, exactly, the most important numeral in baseball is. I have a lot of thoughts, and so have decided to compile another random list. The only rule here is that any number counts. I’m not referring to anything specific like stats or uniform numbers, any number will do. Here we go:

#9 – 3

We begin with Babe Ruth’s iconic #3 (why we begin at #9, I have no idea). So worn because he hit third in the Yankees’ batting order, the image of the New York slugger’s back is as recognizable to me as anybody who’s had a back, that number 3 always standing out. This came about in the earliest days of uniform numbers, and we’ve never had another one more memorable.

Realistically, 3 should be a lot higher on the list. It’s the number of strikes before a batter is out. It’s the number of outs in an inning. 3 is probably the most important number in the game, but if you asked 50 people what the most important number in the game is, I doubt more than maybe 2 people would say 3, so it’s banished to number 9 on this list.

#8 – 1.12

Something tells me I should have put this higher, but while the record might be incredibly impressive, I’m not so sure that the number is as iconic as some others that I have further up on the list. 1.12 is of course the earned run average of Cardinals pitcher Bob Gibson during the 1968 season. This may be the most impressive season for any pitcher in the modern era, and that includes the dead ball days. Gibson pitched 28 complete games that year on his way to a 22-9 record. How he lost 9 games I’ll never know, but he won the first of his two Cy Young Awards this season and also captured the NL MVP.

# 7 – 4,256

Pete Rose finished his career with 4,256 hits, a record that will likely not be broken any time soon. It took 57 years for anyone to pass Ty Cobb’s 4189, but Rose did so at the age of 44, securing his place in history with one of the most important numbers in the game’s history. At least he’s got something to be remembered by because it doesn’t seem like he’ll have a Hall of Fame plaque for that purpose.

#6 – 2,130

The first number to reach the list that isn’t actually significant in any way, 2,130 used to be a record, but today means nothing. This is the number of consecutive games that Lou Gehrig played in, an all-time record until Cal Ripken, Jr. came along and shattered that record, playing in 2,632 consecutive. He broke Gehrig’s record in 1995, and I think the number that really sticks out to me is the big 2131 out in right field at Camden Yards when Ripken set the new record. Nevertheless, Lou Gehrig’s mark, which stood for 6 decades is still the most memorable number in the whole situation. Maybe we should give Ripken another 50 years or so.

#5 – 500, 300 and 3,000

I’m calling a tie here for the three most popular landmark statistics, maybe in all of sports. 500 home runs may not be quite as impressive now as it once was due to the steroids era, but it still is considered the Hall of Fame lock. 300 wins and 3,000 hits are as impressive as ever and both are rarer now than they were several decades ago. Those numbers also will put anyone in the Hall for sure.

#4 – 755

Another one that no longer stands as anything, this is Hank Aaron’s career home run total. Although Babe Ruth’s 714 may be even more notable, this is still the record aside from a juiced Barry Bonds. I debated with myself about whether the 755 was really bigger than the 714, but throughout my youth, this was the number everyone was chasing, the number that everyone strove for. So for me, this is the number that will always be the most important.

# 3 – 42

Babe Ruth’s uniform might be the most memorable, but the most important is definitely Jackie Robinson’s 42. On April 15, 1947, Robinson broke into the league with the Brooklyn Dodgers and broke Major League Baseball’s color barrier wearing number 42. Exactly 50 years later, Bud Selig made arguably one of the only good decisions he’s ever made, announcing the retirement of the number throughout the entire league.  Now, any stadium throughout the majors features a 42 hanging somewhere in the park, making it easily the most ubiquitous uniform number in baseball history, and in my mind, the third most important number in the sport.

#2 – 61

Another number that has no actual meaning, 61 is still the most iconic home run total there’s ever been. Much like Hank Aaron’s 755, Roger Maris’ single season home run record has never been passed up by any non-steroid users. Babe Ruth’s previous record of 60 stood for so long and was so impressive that Maris’ 61 in ’61 will probably always be considered one of the great individual feats ever. There was an asterisk in the record books next to Maris’ 61 because he played in a season that was 8 games longer than Ruth’s, but so many people now consider 61 to still be the record. It’s been bested over and over by juiced up sluggers, and many people feel that those should have asterisks too. I don’t think you can do that. The home runs were hit just as clearly as Maris’ were, whether the hitters had help or not. The real tragedy lies in the fact that the numbers mean so much less now than they once did. Children in the next generation will never look at the 61 the way I did as a kid or the way my parents’ generation would have. To me, there is just one number that purely represents greatness in baseball, a record that may never be broken:

#1 – 56

I wish I Had Him Breaking Thriough the 56 Banner

Joe DiMaggio’s 56 game hit streak in 1941 may be as close to an untouchable record as there is in sports these days. In the nearly 70 years since his accomplishment, the highest anyone has reached is Pete Rose with 44, and even before ’41, only four people ever reached the 40 straight games mark, with Wee Willie Keeler’s 45 (44 in one season) at the top of the list. It seems to me that when people think of baseball streaks or records, this is always the one that pops up first. And perhaps most importantly, this hit streak has inspired two Talkin’ Terry blog posts so you it must be good.

Anyway, those are just my opinions on the greatest numbers in baseball. I’m always open to suggestions.

Team Profile: 1914 Braves

The Miracle Braves

It’s about time I take a look back at another one of my favorite teams from years past: the 1914 Boston Braves.

The Boston franchise went through some big name changes early on, going from the Beaneaters to the Doves to the Rustlers, but they were pretty typically terrible no matter what they were called (though they did enjoy a little success under the Beaneaters moniker, prompting that one to be kept for 24 years). Things changed for the better when they became the Braves, the name they have kept to this day. Let’s not talk about that five-year period when they became the Bees.

Not everything turned around right away, but it didn’t take long. The Braves, who finished in last place their first year in 1912, improved to 5th in 13, and, What a shocker! they took first place in 1914! So what changed, really? Where did this team come from?

Well, the biggest difference was one Johnny Evers. Deemed washed up by the Cubs, Evers went along to Boston where he won the MVP, then known as the Chalmers Award in his first season. Ironically, his numbers were generally a little bit worse in 1914 then they had been the year before. And you don’t see too many players these days winning the MVP with a .279 batting average and 40 RBIs, but it was a different time, and the team won the World Series, so he must have been pretty good.

In fact, the Braves, statistically were an incredibly average team that year. Their .251 team average was identical to the league average and their 2.74 ERA, which might look great today, was only in the middle of the pack in 1914.

You can credit Joe Connolly’s power surge, hitting a whopping nine home runs or Bill James’ 26 wins and 1.90 ERA for some of the success. Neither guy played another full season, but they were big guns on this champion.

Whatever the case, the Bostons caught fire. After a characteristically slow start, the team finished the year on a 61-16 run. Yes, you read that correctly (assuming you read 61-16). They were 15 games out of first place on July 4 and finished the year 10.5 games ahead of second place.

After one of the most incredible turnarounds in sports history, I guess the World Series was just a formality. The A’s, though, had some star power of their own with guys like Home Run Baker, Eddie Collins and Stuffy McInnis. In fact, Philadelphia was a very formidable foe. They had won the championship the previous year and steamrolled the American League again in ’14 to 99 wins and an 8.5 game cushion over the second place Red Sox. It should have been a good series. But that’s not taking into account just how hot these Braves were. They finished the season 61-16! No, the Athletics were no problem whatsoever. They scored just six runs in a four game Boston sweep. Game three was a tight one, featuring a 12-inning battle, but the Braves prevailed 5-4 and the series was essentially over.

The Braves eventually returned to mediocrity, and didn’t win another pennant until 1948. But for one magical summer, they were kings. 65-16!

Giving Glavine his Due

I gave all my thoughts on Frank Thomas the other day, so I thought it was only fair that I at least mention Tom Glavine, who also officially retired last week.

I was never a Braves fan in my youth, so this guy was not nearly as big a part of my life. I have no great memories of watching him pitch when he was in his prime, and I always preferred Greg Maddux as far as dominant Braves pitchers went. In fact, I favored John Smoltz too. I think it was his postseason prowess that impressed me so. Now, there’s a guy who should be a first ballot Hall of Famer.

Well, I guess this whole Tom Glavine tribute hasn’t started out so well. Then again, I never said it would be a tribute.

Let’s see now, what memories do I have of the southpaw? (Thinking) (Thinking) Oh yeah, he was the signature on my second baseball glove. When I first got it, I thought the autograph was John G. Lavine. I spent a few days disappointed that I got a dud and trying to find out who this Mr. Lavine was, before I finally figured out that it said Tom Glavine.

My other Tom Glavine memory comes from actually seeing him pitch. It was the twilight of his career when my brother and I took the ‘L’ out to Wrigley Field to see the Cubs and the Mets on August 5, 2007. The evening was a problem for many reasons. First, when I got the tickets, I was told specifically that the seats were not obstructed. Usually they don’t tell you that. I should have known something was up. In fact, the seats were right behind home plate, but more directly, right behind a pole. That meant the entire center of the field was blocked for us, center field, second base, the pitcher’s mound and home plate. Not that that’s an important part of the field or anything, but it would be nice to be able to see it all.

Anyway, I wasn’t going to let the poor seats ruin my game. I went off to pick up my scorecard. The only problem is that there wasn’t a scorecard. Anywhere. In the entire ballpark every single scorecard was sold out.

Why was this such a problem?

Because Tom Glavine was sitting on 299 wins! I wanted a scorecard to commemorate a possible 300th victory, maybe my only chance to witness such an event.

Well, there was nothing else I could do about it, so I slouched into my seat and leaned over for the majority of the game hoping I would catch some of what was going on. It was an interesting affair. Alfonso Soriano injured himself, which probably cost the Cubs 100 victories that season, Kerry Wood came back from injury to the loudest ovation I’ve ever heard at a baseball game (that was fun), and eventually I found an open seat from which I could see some of the game.

It would have been better if I took my own picture at this game.

The whole stadium was crawling with Mets fans, a fact that bothered me unspeakably. Regardless of who you’re rooting for, there’s a very uneasy feeling associated with having the visiting fans dominate an opposing ballpark. I think so, anyway. The New York fans had plenty to cheer for, though. Glavine pitched a fine ballgame and Jason Marquis pitched for the Cubs (’nuff said).

Glavine left in the 7th with a 5-2 lead, but the Mets padded their lead with a few late scores and it was 8-3 as Billy Wagner came on to finish the game in the ninth. There was a feeling of excitement pulsing through the park, and although the Cub fans were still pulling for the Cubs, you could see them start to give in to the moment a little bit. And as angry as I was all game with the Met faithful, I joined them whole heartedly when Mike Fontenot ended a long at bat with a groundout to second for the final out.

There’s nothing you can do during such a moment other than to cheer and just be impressed. In the history of baseball, only a couple hundred thousand people have ever witnessed a pitcher’s 300th victory live, and to be one of them was pretty special. So to Tom Glavine, one of the game’s classiest guys and one of the great pitchers of the last several decades, I raise my glass. Cheers.

I just wish I had a scorecard from the game.