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Baseball (the talkin' sport)


Tom Strange
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Quotes from Gaylord Perry:

"Greaseball, greaseball, greaseball, that's all I throw him, and he still hits them. He's the only player in baseball who consistently hits my grease. He sees the ball so well, I guess he can pick out the dry side." (speaking of Rod Carew)

"I'd always have it (grease) in at least two places, in case the umpires would ask me to wipe one off. I never wanted to be caught out there with anything though, it wouldn't be professional."

"I reckon I tried everything on the old apple, but salt and pepper and chocolate sauce topping."

"Wait until Tommy (Lasorda) meets the Lord and finds out that He's wearing pinstripes."

Quotes about Gaylord Perry:

"He (Gaylord Perry) should be in the Hall of Fame with a tube of KY jelly attached to his plaque." - Gene Mauch

"When you walk by, he (Gaylord Perry) smells like a drugstore." - Billy Martin

From Baseball Almanac.

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I remember Scott hitting .171 that year, I also remeber the last day of the season when it was possible that the batting champ may have hit under .300----( who was Yaz battling that year was it Alex Johnson ?)

I suppose Simon is right --they had to do something---still the previous year Yastrzemski did win the triple crown, and Frank Robinson the year before that, and at least a few regularly hit 40 or so HRS or hit .330 or so. For whatever reason that year was so aberrant they never gave it enough chance to naturally rebound but alterred things right then and there. I dont know if it rated that much of a change so quickly maybe it was a business decison because attendance had been in decline for a number of years and they wanted to liven things up.

I dont know what its like across all baseball but I know here interest is at an all time peak and MLB has done a pretty good job marketing itself especially after the huge fall off after the strike in the 90's.

I'd like to see the mound raised a little, the steroid period ended, the artificially numbers brought back to earth and the game made alittle leveler--- but I doubt, other than remove steroids, or at least give the appearance that they are, they will mess too much with the good thing that they have going. Look at those player payrolls I posted on the last page-Its gotta be over a billion dollars--just in player salaries, I doubt anyone would mess to much with the formula that they have now....

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One of the most common trivia questions asked is what Major League pitcher used to play basketball for the Harlem Globetrotters? This player played for them from 1957 through 1958 and was a former Creighton University basketball all-star.

Gees I missed that last night when I was posting--you snuck in a few greased up posts behind me

I think the answer is Bob Gibson

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As far as I can see, baseball iinterest is at an all time high, at least in terms of attendance. Without looking anthing up, I know that the Yankees regularly get more than 50,000 a game, even on weekdays. The Mets are obviously a force again, and are pulling great crowds at Shea, so baseball in New York is just fine.

Her in LA, the Dodgers draw over 3 million every year, even when the team is awful. Their stated goal is 4 million, and darned if they might just make it this year. The Angels are no longer the 'Other Team', and will draw 3 million again this year.

Beyond that I'd have to look at figures. I sincerely hope the good people of Detroit are getting behind the Tigers-that place should be rocking. And with so many teams still in the race, it should be a banner year for attendance.

The bar has been raised. It used to be just a select few teams that drew 2 million, with some teams striving to hit the million mark.

Back in baseball's 'hay day', when there was no debate about it's status in America, most teams didn't draw a million. Part of it was scheduling, with weekday daygames common.

I was watching ken Burns baseball documentary, and noticed that the last game at Ebbets field only drew a few thousand. They moved because people stopped coming, though they loved their Dodgers. Can you imagine the crowds if the yankees were leaving town, looking for a souvenir?

In looking at all the old footage, it just seemed commonplace for attendance to be much much less than it is today. Maybe marketing and availability has changed. Maybe we have more money now to go to a game.When I was growing up I only got to a few yankee games, though I lived and died with them. It was a Major Event to go to a game.

I'm starting to ramble, just thinking out loud.

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Tomorrow I am going to a game at the new Busch stadium for the first time. Not even sure who's pitching, but I can't wait. How they've stayed in 1st place I'll never know. They haven't lost since cutting Ponson loose. Watch. The WS will be the Cards and Yankees and game 7 will be Weaver vs Ponson. Anything is possible.

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'The words of the prophets are written on the subway walls and tenement halls"

and posts at greasespot I might add.....I'll be watchin'---- and if thats the way it goes I'll be the first in line to but you a beer. Hve a great time for all of us at Busch

In looking at all the old footage, it just seemed commonplace for attendance to be much much less than it is today. Maybe marketing and availability has changed. Maybe we have more money now to go to a game

I remember when it cost one buck to get into Fenway , $3.25 for the best box seats and attendance still was regularly under 10,000 a game. It was a major event to go, but I still went alot. Glad I did.

I read some report just yesterday that said to bring a family of four, now costs upwards of $400.00 (with parking, drinks etc) per game , yet it is jam packed to the gills every single day. You probably have more of a chance of winning the lottery than finding tickets at face value. So, at least here I dont think its our money that has changed, so much as the perception of the importance of the game has shifted some to reach a bigger audience.

Its not just for the super diehard fans anymore, but there is a whole brigade of trendy fans, "the pink hat brigade" who have jumped on (or been pulled onto..) the bandwagon just because it is a popular thing to do, whether they are hardcore fans or not --they go.

MLB has also worked hard to project an image and environment that is more family friendly and wholesome than it used to be----some of those old ballparks could be just downright seedy at times -- In some Parks you can see children happily playing in a fully equipped play area where you used to see gruff old men smoking cigars, cussin, spitting, drinking and screaming obscenities...

I sorta miss that :wink2:

but thats all kept under much tighter leash now.

....I havent seen that Ken Burns documentary in anumber of years--I love that old footage and it is the major reason I scored pretty good on the old time baseball stuff--I gotsta watch that again

Edited by mstar1
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One of the most common trivia questions asked is what Major League pitcher used to play basketball for the Harlem Globetrotters? This player played for them from 1957 through 1958 and was a former Creighton University basketball all-star.
MStar1 says,
Gees I missed that last night when I was posting--you snuck in a few greased up posts behind me

I think the answer is Bob Gibson

What award should we give MStar1 for answering this question correctly? Any suggestions?

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Bob_Gibson

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Saw the new Busch stadium today. In some ways it's just like the old one, but the atmosphere is different. In the old stadium you couldn't see outside much; in the new one center and left field are open above the bullpen. The wind has more access. This could prove interesting for some games.

Our seats were 12 rows behind the visitor's dugout. Direct sun on us all game. I was hoping to see Mia Hamm nearby, but there was plenty to look at besides the game, if you know what I mean. Usually Cardinal fans are kind to former players, but J D Drew was injured a lot when he played for us and one astute fan told him to go back on the DL. I will definitely go again.

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In 1999 at Dodger Stadium. Cardinals vs Dodgers. Cards hit 2 grand slams in the same inning against Chan Ho Park. I was at that game, and the question on everyone's mind was how in the world Park was still in the game to give up the second grand slam!

I hate to admit it, but the name of the player who hit them, and I'm pretty certain it was the same guy, escapes me at the moment, but will come to me when I least expect it.

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Fernando Tatis....

I think the Cubs as a whole stink this year,but that was one of the unluckiest innings I've ever seen a team go through(the 11 run inning)....Todd Walker,two errors,every hit was either a blooper or just out of the fielder's reach....Two wind-blown opposite field grandslams into the basket on good pitches,...even the third homer was opposite field...

The Yanks handed the Chisox their hats today....They're definitely a force to be reckoned with...

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Fernando Tatis ! Thanks. I should have remembered.

The Yankees are starting to put it together. This is going to be some second half, with so many strong teams in the AL. Yanks, both colored Sox,Tigers, A's, Twins, Rangers, Blue jays, Angels,all solid teams.

Not to demean the NL, with the Mets , and Cards. It does seem like most of the other contenders wouldn't match up to the AL teams over a season.

Who'da thunk it 20 years ago.

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sounds like a good trip Johniam! I never made it to the old busch, at least not in person, but I did go to the vet in philly so I count them both!

yeah rhino... what's up with that?

stRangers used all of their runs in Baltimore in the first game it seems... oh well... on to Toronto!

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The Yankees are starting to put it together.

,yea I noticed--although I saw Damon hobbling around..and meanwhile the Red Sox have displayed high levels of suckiness since the All Star break, losing 3 of 4 to Oakland by a combined score of 28-7 --so for the billionth time in recent years there is one game separating them---which is great, but nervewracking --- but for now and the way they're playing thank God that the Royals are coming to town

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Of all the trueisms in baseball, for me the truest is that no team is as good as they look while they're winning, and no team is as bad as they look when they're losing.

In other words, next week the Sox could be riding a 5 game winning streak, while the Yankees go cold.

It's a loooong season, but it sure does seem like those two teams go neck and neck every year.

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yeah hiway... but sometimes I sure wonder! ...we just gave up 9 to the BloJays in the bottom of the 4th... homeboy Vernon Wells came up with the bases loaded and you just knew... our pitcher even did the duck and cover...

I'm sure glad they're in Toronto and I bet they are too... on TV today they had two identical thermometers in a back yard, one in the shade, one in the sun... one read 106 the other 126... yeah, I really am motivated to go see a game in that... but after the sun goes down it cools off some... when you see the live temps on the weather at 10:20, it's still 93 with a heat index of 97...

sure glad I don't live in Indonesia... can't even go to the beach!

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Of all the trueisms in baseball, for me the truest is that no team is as good as they look while they're winning, and no team is as bad as they look when they're losing.

Hiway,I have to respectfully disagree...The Cubs are as bad as they look when they're losing....In fact,it could be argued that they're worse...If the Mets hadn't emptied out the gatorade jug sitting through those 60 something pitches the Cub hurlers were tossing at them in that 11-run fifth inning yesterday they probably would have batted around two or three more times...Whoever invented the mercy rule for little league baseball probably grew up watching the Cubs...I may be half kidding,but jeez...Haley's comet's appeared twice since the Cubs last won it,..They're starting to wear that silly 'curse' like a badge of honour....

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