Today we look back at one of the longest baseball games played by women. The All-American Girls Baseball League game played on July 31, 1947 at Horlick Field in Racine, Wisconsin between the Racine Belles and the South Blue Sox went 22 innings. The Blue Sox won the game by a score of 4-3 in 4 hours and 30 minutes. Both pitchers Eleanor Dapkus of the Belles and Jean Faut of the Blue Sox went all the way. The two teams traded single runs in the 14th inning. For Dapkus it was her first game as a pitcher, she was previously an outfielder. She had excelled as an outfielder and would not disappoint on the mound. She would retire after the 1950 season when the Belles moved to Battle Creek, Michigan. Faut was in the middle of her second of eight league seasons. She would go on to win player of year honors twice, pitch four no-hitters, two of them perfect games.
Tomorrow we will look at the Porterville Comets.
Saturday, July 31, 2010
Friday, July 30, 2010
The Last of the Ladies
On July 30, 1998 the Ladies League Baseball folded. Most baseball fans did not even know the league existed. I was fortunate to see one league game with my wife and two oldest daughters. My wife was pregnant with our third daugghter at the time. We attended tthe san Jose Spitfires at Long Beach Aces game the night before the league folded. I counted 80 fans in the stands as the league had already announced the next night would be their last. I did manage to get a foul ball during the game. The players looked like they were very happy to be playing baseball.
The league had opened the year before with four teams. The teams were the Long Beach Aces, Los Angeles Legends, Phoenix Peppers and the San Jose Spitfires. When I heard the league lineup for the 1998 season I was crushed. The league had moved the Legends to Homestead, FL and given expansion teams to Augusta, NJ and Buffalo, NY. My thought was this league will never make it. I wish I had been wrong. If I can get this next part right it will show that something was wrong with the league in planning their season. The Aces trained at home, opened on the east coast, then traveled to San Jose, then back to the east coast and finally back to California for their home opener a three game set against the Spitfires. That is when the end came. Properlly run this league could have easily been a great success, instead it went into the history books as a failure in its second season. A comeback should be planned soon. The WNBA started about the same time, although that league suffered from some growing pains, it is today a healthy league. Even the Lingere Football League appears to be doing well.
Tomorrow we will end the month looking at one womens league game.
The league had opened the year before with four teams. The teams were the Long Beach Aces, Los Angeles Legends, Phoenix Peppers and the San Jose Spitfires. When I heard the league lineup for the 1998 season I was crushed. The league had moved the Legends to Homestead, FL and given expansion teams to Augusta, NJ and Buffalo, NY. My thought was this league will never make it. I wish I had been wrong. If I can get this next part right it will show that something was wrong with the league in planning their season. The Aces trained at home, opened on the east coast, then traveled to San Jose, then back to the east coast and finally back to California for their home opener a three game set against the Spitfires. That is when the end came. Properlly run this league could have easily been a great success, instead it went into the history books as a failure in its second season. A comeback should be planned soon. The WNBA started about the same time, although that league suffered from some growing pains, it is today a healthy league. Even the Lingere Football League appears to be doing well.
Tomorrow we will end the month looking at one womens league game.
Thursday, July 29, 2010
A first all-Star game
Today many professional baseball leagues have there own all-star game. Alot of these leagues have home run derbys as well. With each of these leagues, one of these games had to be a first. Today we look at the first all-star game in the Pacific Coast League.
On July 29, 1941, the league played their first all-star game. The game was played at Seals Stadium in San Francisco, California. The North club was managed by Pepper Martin, who was the Sacramento manager at the time. Martin had players from the Oakland Oaks, the Seattle Rainers and the Portland Beavers in addition to players from his own club. The South club was managed by San Francisco Seals manager Frank O'Doul. O'Doul had players from the Los Angeles Angels, Hollywood Stars and San Diego Padres in addition to players from his own club.
Before the game started league president W.C. Tuttle got on the PA and announced that the game would an annual feature on the leagues' schedule. Thanks to 2 eighth inning runs the South won the game by a score of 3-1.
Tomorrow we look at the end of the Ladies League from the late 1990s.
On July 29, 1941, the league played their first all-star game. The game was played at Seals Stadium in San Francisco, California. The North club was managed by Pepper Martin, who was the Sacramento manager at the time. Martin had players from the Oakland Oaks, the Seattle Rainers and the Portland Beavers in addition to players from his own club. The South club was managed by San Francisco Seals manager Frank O'Doul. O'Doul had players from the Los Angeles Angels, Hollywood Stars and San Diego Padres in addition to players from his own club.
Before the game started league president W.C. Tuttle got on the PA and announced that the game would an annual feature on the leagues' schedule. Thanks to 2 eighth inning runs the South won the game by a score of 3-1.
Tomorrow we look at the end of the Ladies League from the late 1990s.
Wednesday, July 28, 2010
The First No-No
Here we are just two days removed from the first no-hitter in the histiry of the Tampa Bay Rays by Matt Garza. Somewhere in the deep dark history of the game is the first no-hitter ever. On July 28, 1875 in the National Association, 21 year old Joseph E. Borden of the Philadelphia White Stockings pitched a 4-0 no-hitter over the Chicago White Stockings. It was the first no-hitter in professional baseball history. The game was played at Jefferson Street Grounds in Philadelphia.
The Philadelphia Club was near the end of its three year run in the league. They were not invited to join the National League following year. The Chicago Club was invited to join the National Leqgue when it was founded the following year. They are one of the two clubs from the first year of the National League that are still in the league. They are the only club that has never moved since day one. Borden did play in the National League, pitching 29 games for the Boston Red Caps. He also played 16 games in the outfield. Borden never had the career that Garza is enjoying, but he did have the first no-hitter in a league where high scoring was the rule, not the exception.
Tomorrow we will look at another first, this one in the Pacific Coast League.
The Philadelphia Club was near the end of its three year run in the league. They were not invited to join the National League following year. The Chicago Club was invited to join the National Leqgue when it was founded the following year. They are one of the two clubs from the first year of the National League that are still in the league. They are the only club that has never moved since day one. Borden did play in the National League, pitching 29 games for the Boston Red Caps. He also played 16 games in the outfield. Borden never had the career that Garza is enjoying, but he did have the first no-hitter in a league where high scoring was the rule, not the exception.
Tomorrow we will look at another first, this one in the Pacific Coast League.
Tuesday, July 27, 2010
Dont let him touch the ball again
How does a pitcher make three errors on the same play and still come away with a convincing win? Many things would have to be right to make that happen. If the date was July 27, 1988 and you are pitching for the Yankees at Yankee Stadium, you might have a chance. If your name is Tommy John then it could happen.
In the Brewer fourth inning, future Hall of Famer Paul Molitor led off by oddly enough, grounding out back to John. Second baseman Jim Gantner then walked. Leftfielder Jeffery Leonard started all the trouble by hitting a ground ball back to John, tommy booted the ball. John then threw the ball into rightfield. His rightfielder, another future Hall of famer, Dave Winfield tried to throw Gantner out at the plate. However, John cut the throw off and relayed it, you guessed it, the Brewer dugout. Both runners scored on the play.
The Yankees still came away with a 16-3 win for John. That is how you can commit three errors on one play and still win a game. The mere fact that at the age of 45, John was still pitching says alot about two men. Those men being Dr. Frank Jobe and Dr. Robert Kerlen. The doctors tended to John in 1974 after he ruptured the ligament in his pitching elbow. Before then it was a death sentance for a pitcher, a career ending injury. After experimental surgery put John back on the mound, Tommy resumed his pitching career. Many pitchers have had "Tommy John" surgery and continued to pitch. For this feat, I firmly believe that these two doctors should be in the Baseball Hall of Fame. Of course, I also firmly believe that Marvin Miller should be there too.
Tomorrow we will look at the first no-hitter.
In the Brewer fourth inning, future Hall of Famer Paul Molitor led off by oddly enough, grounding out back to John. Second baseman Jim Gantner then walked. Leftfielder Jeffery Leonard started all the trouble by hitting a ground ball back to John, tommy booted the ball. John then threw the ball into rightfield. His rightfielder, another future Hall of famer, Dave Winfield tried to throw Gantner out at the plate. However, John cut the throw off and relayed it, you guessed it, the Brewer dugout. Both runners scored on the play.
The Yankees still came away with a 16-3 win for John. That is how you can commit three errors on one play and still win a game. The mere fact that at the age of 45, John was still pitching says alot about two men. Those men being Dr. Frank Jobe and Dr. Robert Kerlen. The doctors tended to John in 1974 after he ruptured the ligament in his pitching elbow. Before then it was a death sentance for a pitcher, a career ending injury. After experimental surgery put John back on the mound, Tommy resumed his pitching career. Many pitchers have had "Tommy John" surgery and continued to pitch. For this feat, I firmly believe that these two doctors should be in the Baseball Hall of Fame. Of course, I also firmly believe that Marvin Miller should be there too.
Tomorrow we will look at the first no-hitter.
Monday, July 26, 2010
Joe Ds big hitting streak
When someone talks of "Joe Ds big hitting streak", they talk of the 56 game hitting streak by one future Hall of Fame Joseph Paul DiMaggio in 1941. Whole books have been written on the "Streak". The streak we are talking about today is DiMaggios 61 game hitting streak. For those who are not well versed in minor league baseball history, this streak was in the Pacific Coast League in 1933.
On July 26, 1933 at Seals Stadium in San Francisco, California, DiMaggio went 0 for 5 against Edward A. Walsh, Jr of the Oakland Oaks. The Seals however still won the game by a score of 4-3. Walsh who by this time had 4 years with the Chicago White Sox, was able to get the best of the young DiMaggio, just not his teammates.
Tomorrow we look at neat fielding trick by a MLB pitcher.
On July 26, 1933 at Seals Stadium in San Francisco, California, DiMaggio went 0 for 5 against Edward A. Walsh, Jr of the Oakland Oaks. The Seals however still won the game by a score of 4-3. Walsh who by this time had 4 years with the Chicago White Sox, was able to get the best of the young DiMaggio, just not his teammates.
Tomorrow we look at neat fielding trick by a MLB pitcher.
Sunday, July 25, 2010
Several Baseball Games and a Basketball Game
In my upcoming book, I have 21 entries listed under "July 25". Noone of them seem to stand out as worthy of an entire blog. So, today we will discuss 4 games that were played on July 25.
The first game was played at Ringwood Park in Peoria, Illinois in 1907. The 3-I League game was played between the Clinton Infants and the Peoria Distillers. The games was scoreless through the first 21 innings. Then, the hometown Distillers scored 3 runs in the top of the 22nd and then as the Infants threatened in the bottom half of the inning, the Distillers pulled a triple play to snuff out the rally and end the game.
Just two years later, a Illinois-Missouri League game at Galesburg, Illlinois went into the 18th inning scoreless. The Galesburg Boosters scored a run in their half of the 18th to win. The Boosters pitcher was future Hall of famer Grover Cleveland Alexander.
Moving ahead all the way to 1978, we look at a California League game played at Lawrence Park in Lodi, California. It took triple plays in the first and fifth innings by the Lodi Dodgers to take an 11-6 win over the Fresno Giants.
Our final stop was in 2001 at the Gund Arena in Cleveland, Ohio. In the Womens National Basketball Association game between the Cleveland Rockers and the Miami Sol, the Rockers scored only 52 points and still won the game by 4 points in overtime!!!
Sports history is full of stories such as the four of these. My upcoming book will feature close to 8000 stories like these among its 400 pages. Tomorrow we will look at a 1933 hitting streak.
The first game was played at Ringwood Park in Peoria, Illinois in 1907. The 3-I League game was played between the Clinton Infants and the Peoria Distillers. The games was scoreless through the first 21 innings. Then, the hometown Distillers scored 3 runs in the top of the 22nd and then as the Infants threatened in the bottom half of the inning, the Distillers pulled a triple play to snuff out the rally and end the game.
Just two years later, a Illinois-Missouri League game at Galesburg, Illlinois went into the 18th inning scoreless. The Galesburg Boosters scored a run in their half of the 18th to win. The Boosters pitcher was future Hall of famer Grover Cleveland Alexander.
Moving ahead all the way to 1978, we look at a California League game played at Lawrence Park in Lodi, California. It took triple plays in the first and fifth innings by the Lodi Dodgers to take an 11-6 win over the Fresno Giants.
Our final stop was in 2001 at the Gund Arena in Cleveland, Ohio. In the Womens National Basketball Association game between the Cleveland Rockers and the Miami Sol, the Rockers scored only 52 points and still won the game by 4 points in overtime!!!
Sports history is full of stories such as the four of these. My upcoming book will feature close to 8000 stories like these among its 400 pages. Tomorrow we will look at a 1933 hitting streak.
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