August 18, 2026

Top Stories

Manager Jimmy Dykes Overestimated 1954 Orioles

August 17, 2026 · by · Leave a Comment 

Orioles manager Jimmy Dykes As Baltimore awaited the arrival of the hapless St. Louis Browns franchise in November 1953, newly named Orioles general manager Arthur Ehlers fired Browns manager Marty Marion and replaced him with former Philadelphia Athletics manager Jimmy Dykes. Dykes, 57, had managed in the major leagues for 14 years, and had played 22 years, mostly as a third baseman with the Philadelphia A’s.  He was part of Connie Mack’s powerful teams in 1929-1931, appearing in three World Series. Ehlers fired Marion after meeting with him and declaring that the skipper “showed... [Read the full story]

General

Fiery Manager Was Obsessed with Winning

August 17, 2026 · by · Leave a Comment 

It’s been 40 years since Earl Weaver managed a major league baseball team, but the fiery genius left an indelible impression upon the game, the players and the fans. Author John W. Miller refers to Weaver as The Last Manager because data analysis and free agency have shifted control to general managers and the players. Managers are no longer the dominant forces as they were in Weaver’s day. Weaver was obsessed with finding the winning edge, bringing out the best in each player and tweaking baseball to see where it would go. His intensity (he said his epitaph should read: “here... [Read the full story]

Features

Gold Glove, Golden Memories: So long, Brooks

September 27, 2023 · by · Leave a Comment 

I have dreaded this day since I was old enough to truly appreciate the perspective that mortality brings. I just heard that Brooks Robinson has died. It must be true because something is gone inside of me. Maybe the last vestiges of childhood innocence that have hung around for these 66 years. Maybe the ultimate rejection of that fantasy that somehow Life will go back to the way it was, and once again we’ll be in the early morning of our hopes and dreams. Yes, this baseball player meant that much to a generation of Baltimoreans; a ballplayer about whom as Gordon Beard, a former AP sports writer... [Read the full story]

Hall of Fame

WAR and Win Shares and Charlie Blackmon

March 23, 2019 · by · 1 Comment 

It appears that WAR, in attempting to assign a single number to represent a player’s season, has a problem with fielding.   And the problem is not so much with the player’s defensive WAR score – but rather with trying to COMBINE this score with the offensive WAR.   A very good or very poor fielding score appears to seriously distort the player’s total WAR score. As an example, Matt Chapman had a great fielding season at third base in 2018 and his situation illustrates quite well why WAR does a relatively good job of evaluating his offensive value (oWAR) and his defensive value (dWAR)... [Read the full story]

Minors

Principal Park: Despite City’s Size, Ballpark Has Big Impact

June 30, 2018 · by · Leave a Comment 

Minor league baseball a Des Moines, Iowa, staple at same location since 1947 Submitted by Steve Dunn Located at the confluence of the Des Moines and Raccoon rivers in Des Moines, Iowa, Principal Park and its two predecessors have hosted professional baseball since Friday, June 20, 1947. One of the more unique games in minor league history was played nearly 61 years later at Principal Park on Saturday, June 14, 2008. With widespread flooding in central Iowa, the Iowa Cubs and Nashville Sounds played a Triple A Pacific Coast League game that drew an official attendance of zero. “The only other... [Read the full story]

General

Fiery Manager Was Obsessed with Winning

August 17, 2026 by

It’s been 40 years since Earl Weaver managed a major league baseball team, but the fiery genius left an indelible impression upon the game, the players and the fans. Author John W. Miller refers to Weaver as The Last Manager because data analysis and free agency have shifted control to general managers and the players. Managers are no longer the... Read more of this article

Heavenly Hats and Not Enough Homers

August 12, 2026 by

Peace (And Defeat) Be With You   The Chicago White Sox gave out 40,000 mitres, the fancy hat that the Pope wears, to fans at Tuesday night’s game in honor of Pope Leo XIV, a Chicago-area native, White Sox fan, and devout headgear wearer. What’s funnier than seeing 40,000 people wearing pointy Pope hats with a White Sox logo at a baseball game? ... Read more of this article

The Three-Hour Summer

June 25, 2026 by

June 25, 2026The Game It Rained ForeverWe were in a hurry to make the first pitch for the White Sox game against the Cleveland Guardians on Chicago’s South Side on Wednesday afternoon, excited to see our resurgent Sox in a battle with their top challengers for first place in the American League Central Division.The Sox had taken the first two games... Read more of this article

Legends Of The Turnaround

June 10, 2026 by

June 10, 2026The White Sox Are In First Place For The First Time In 4,000 Years With their 2-1 victory over the Atlanta Braves on the South Side of Chicago on Wednesday night, and following an 8-4 afternoon loss by the Cleveland Guardians to the New York Yankees, the Chicago White Sox are in first place for the first time since Abner Doubleday was experiencing... Read more of this article

Nobody Expects the Unassisted Triple Play

June 5, 2026 by

Cleveland second baseman Bill Wambsganss According to Baseball Almanac, there have been 740 triple plays in baseball history from 1876 through 2025.  That’s an average of 4.93 (let’s round that off to 5) per year, or less than once a month.  There are 2,430 MLB regular season games played each year, or roughly 405 per month.  So, no matter how... Read more of this article

An In-Depth Look at a One-Eyed Major Leaguer

May 3, 2026 by

MLB Commissioner Kenesaw Mountain Landis Much has been written about baseball during World War II when the military draft stripped rosters of all able-bodied men. While most minor leagues suspended operations, the major leagues soldiered on, so to speak, thanks to President Franklin Roosevelt’s famous “green light” letter to Baseball Commissioner... Read more of this article

The Glory of The Wind

April 30, 2026 by

April 29, 2026 The Glory of The Wind White Sox 3, Angels 2 Nougat and vodka might be the two most upholding vices ever created by polite society but weekday baseball has a seat on that splendor train as well. We ate no nougat and drank no vodka on Wednesday afternoon at Guaranteed Rate Field, and perhaps that’s for the best because our senses might... Read more of this article

The Most Sickening Event In The History of This Universe or Any Other

March 27, 2026 by

The Chicago White Sox opened the 2026 season by making the short drive north to Milwaukee to face the Brewers but left their hitting, pitching, dignity, humor, and religion behind, getting obliterated 14-2 in a contest so ugly it made you admire the blind and cry with the dead.The Sox actually got off to a tremendous start, as Chase Meidroth became... Read more of this article

Lucky Lohrke or Low-Key Lohrke?

March 26, 2026 by

Jack Lohrke played for the New York Giants from 1947-1951 Whenever you read about a disastrous plane crash, there is inevitably a sidebar pertaining to one or more passengers who had reservations but missed the flight for one reason or another.  Or there is the occasional passenger who somehow survived the disaster.  Last summer, we had the example... Read more of this article

Ducks On the Pond; Goose Eggs On the Scoreboard

February 22, 2026 by

Cubs hurler Larry Cheney tossed a 14-hit shutout against the Giants in 1913. Theoretically, a pitcher could give up three hits every inning and maintain a shutout.  A 27-hit shutout is conceivable but virtually impossible.  Of course, in an era when a complete game is a rarity, musing about complete game shutouts is an exercise in nostalgia. If the... Read more of this article

More Posts From General

Features

Gold Glove, Golden Memories: So long, Brooks

by

I have dreaded this day since I was old enough to truly appreciate the perspective... 

Cheap and Ugly in the Capitol

by

Calvin Griffith (AP Photo/John Duricka )   Upon Googling: “Cheapest Baseball... 

Making the Game Fun Again

by

As the season loomed large in the late winter months, a friend who had prepared a... 

Stories Over Stats

by

While on our way to breakfast Saturday morning, the subject of former Oriole, now... 

Aaron Judge in a Nationals Uniform?

by

No, I did not predict Josh Bell going to San Diego, but who did? In my defense, just... 

More Posts From Features

Hall of Fame

WAR and Win Shares and Charlie Blackmon

by

It appears that WAR, in attempting to assign a single number to represent a player’s... 

The BBWAA “Report Card” for the 21st Century

by

The CAWS Career Gauge (CCG) has ranked all of the outstanding players of the modern... 

WAR and JAWS – Exaggerating Fielding Value

by

In an earlier post, I pointed out that Matt Chapman’s WAR value for 2018 (8.2)... 

A Problem with WAR = Defensive Value

by

My primary research interest has always been determining which players had the best... 

The Four CAWS HOF Benchmarks for Pitchers

by

In a previous post re Koufax and Kershaw, I mentioned one of the benchmarks created... 

More Posts From Hall of Fame

Minors

Principal Park: Despite City’s Size, Ballpark Has Big Impact

by

Minor league baseball a Des Moines, Iowa, staple at same location since 1947 Submitted... 

Max Watt: The Boston Red Sox’s Power Pitching Prospect

by

Scouting is an integral part of professional baseball. Teams employ and send out... 

Suns’ First Pitch Thrown By Suns’ First Pitcher

by

The Hagerstown Suns of the South Atlantic League asked the retiring sheriff of nearby... 

An Interview with Boston Red Sox Prospect Nick Longhi

by

Growing up rooting for a baseball team, and striving to get into position to one... 

Carroll enjoys staying on his grind

by

ROCHESTER, NY – More than a decade has passed since Brett Carroll roamed... 

More Posts From Minors