Around The Horn

If you love a beautiful book, if you are a baseball fan, if you are a fan of prized archival photographs, if you have a special affection for the old Brooklyn Dodgers - if you are any of these “Through a Blue Lens” is just the book for you.

Sub-titled “The Brooklyn Dodgers Photographs of Barney Stein 1937-1957” by Dennis D’Agostino and Bonnie Crosby (Triumph Books, $27.95, 162 pages), the book is a real page turner. Ms. Crosby is the daughter of the late and great official photographer of the Brooklyn Dodgers. Mr. D’Agostino is a highly respected author and sports public relations executive especially know to many for his sparkling stint at Madison Square Garden. The two make a terrific team serving up words from such bleeding Dodger blue types as Vin Scully, Johnny Podres, Ralph Branca) and images (nearly 200 taken over 21 seasons by Barney Stein. The result is a fabulous book, re-living the world and time of the Brooklyn Dodgers. For browsing, for gift giving, for treasuring — make this your next sports book purchase.

“Ted Williams At War” by Bill Nowlin (Rounder Books, $24.95, 352 pages) is a sterling look in words and pictures focused on not only a terrific ball player but an authentic American hero. The “Kid” is the only Hall of Famer who served in two wars. A flight instructor with the Marines in World War II, Williams flew 39 combat missions in the Korean War. Nowlin, the author of 15 books and Vice President of the Society for American Baseball Research, knows his stuff and struts it in page after page in this important tome. The prolific and energetic Nowlin interviewed more than 40 pilots who flew with the Splendid Splinter and more than 100 who knew Williams during his military service.

This August Cal Ripken, Jr. will be officially inducted into the National Baseball Hall of Fame in Cooperstown. In anticipation of that event we have “Get in the Game” from the baseball legend and Donald T. Phillips (Gotham Books, $26.00, 247 pages). The major focus of the work are “eight elements of perseverance that make the difference” and that surely made the difference in Ripken’s career as he honed in breaking the Lou Gehrig consecutive games played record and setting the new one at 2,632. If you are a Ripken fan, if you want some sage advice on getting into any game - this is the book for you.

From Thunder Bay Press comes two engrossing picture book: “Ballpark: Then and Now” by Eric Enders and “Chicago: Baseball in the City” by Derek Gentile. The former is a roundup of parks then and now in words and pictures; the latter focuses on the national pastime in the windy city.

Coming soon: “You’re Still Away” by Robert Sullivan (Maple Street Press, $19.95) is a on the drawing board and coming to bookstores very soon. Father’s Day? It is a delightful and ranging work about so many facets and thrills that the world of golf contains as seen by a man who is the editorial director of LIFE books and accepts the game for what it is, which is much more than a game. Go for it. Highly recommended for golfers and those who like a wonderful read.

BACKLIST: “Great Baseball Films” by Rob Edelman (Citadel Press) is still a page turner and still very relevant. If you are a movie buff and a baseball book lover - Edelman’s effort is your cup of tea.

Harvey Frommer is now in his 33rd consecutive year of writing sports books. He is the author of 39 sports books, including the classics: “New York City Baseball,” and “Shoeless Joe and Ragtime Baseball.” His FIVE O’CLOCK LIGHTNING: BABE RUTH, LOU GEHRIG AND THE GREATEST TEAM IN BASEBALL HISTORY, THE 1927 NEW YORK YANKEES will be published by Wiley in the fall of 2007. Frommer is at work on REMEMBERING YANKEE STADIUM (Abrams, Stewart, Tabori and Chang) an oral/narrative history to be published in fall 2008.

Frommer sports books are available direct from the author - discounted and autographed.

We have got your number if you are a number cruncher, a stat guy, a fan or the Yankees or just into baseball trivia. Single digits, double digist, triple digits and on and on - the world of baseball is one that lives and dies with numbers.

So for your perusal and reading pleasure . . .

1,995 - Most career RBI’’s, Lou Gehrig.
2010 ­ Expiration year of Derek Jeter’s contract.
2,120 ­ Number of games Babe Ruth played for the Yankees.
2,130 - The number of consecutive games Lou Gehrig played in.
2,401 - Most games played in by a Yankee, Mickey Mantle, 1951-1968.
2,584 ­ Career hits, Reggie Jackson.
2,597 - The record number of career strikeouts by Reggie Jackson.
2,721 - The Yankee record number of hits recorded by Lou Gehrig.
3,654 ­ The number of home runs Yankees hit at old Yankee Stadium,1923-1973
$6,595.38 - The amount payable in 1927 in bi-weekly checks to Babe Ruth that added up to the record salary he earned of $70,000.
$18,000 - Cost of purchasing the franchise of Baltimore and transferring it to New York City.
$50,000 The New York Giants offered that unheard of amount to the Yankees for Yogi Berra.
64,519 - The number of people in attendance at Yankee Stadium in 1956 when Don Larsen pitched the Perfect Game.
$65,000 ­ Gillette and Ford paid this amount for the exclusive sponsorship rights to the first televised World Series shown only in New York City, 1947. Liebmann Brewery had offered $100,000 for the rights, but baseball Commissioner Chandler rejected the offer claiming it wouldn’t be appropriate having the Series sponsored by the producer of an alcoholic beverage.
211,808 -The New York Highlanders attendance, 1903
2,561,123 - Shea Stadium attendance for Yankees, 1974-75
3,451,542 - Hilltop Park attendance 1903-1912
6,220,031 -Polo Grounds attendance 1913-1922
$12,357.143 ­ Annual salary of Bernie Williams in 2001, more than the entire Division play-off opposition Oakland infield and two of its outfieders.
$12.6-million - Annual salary of Derek Jeter that began in 2001.
64,188,862 -Yankee Stadium attendance 1923-1973

Harvey Frommer is now in his 33rd consecutive year of writing sports books. He is the author of 39 sports books, including the classics: “New York City Baseball,” and “Shoeless Joe and Ragtime Baseball.” His FIVE O’CLOCK LIGHTNING: BABE RUTH, LOU GEHRIG AND THE GREATEST TEAM IN BASEBALL HISTORY, THE 1927 NEW YORK YANKEES will be published by Wiley in the fall of 2007. Frommer is at work on REMEMBERING YANKEE STADIUM (Abrams, Stewart, Tabori and Chang) an oral/narrative history to be published in fall 2008.

Frommer sports books are available direct from the author - discounted and autographed.

In this story by Nick Cafardo he brings up Pesky returning to the dugout with Bud Selig. Bud’s last line is “If anyone wants to invoke change with this rule, they should have a discussion with the general managers.” Now is the time for baseball fans to use the power of the internet, to change the rules of the game. Write an email to every GM and asked them to respond to this question.

     ”Would you allow any team icon over the age of 80 the privilege
      of sitting in the dugout for any game?”

We could ask Cashman first. Torre could even have his old friend Don Zimmer back. Boston will promise not to even use a matador move if Zimmer attacks anyone, especially since Pedro is not here to throw is head with a plate on the turf. Red Schoendienst could sit on the Cardinal bench as well. If Bob Feller wants to sit on Cleveland’s he is welcomed. You can ask the GM’s to vote on-line. Maybe we could get this change done effective immediately.

Another change that needs to be done is with the MLB rules committee. Wouldn’t you know that Sandy Alderson is the head of that committee. Baseball needs to implement a definition to a checked swing. On May 5th, with a struggling Johan Santana on the mound in Minnesota, David Ortiz had an eight-pitch at-bat that end by striking out. He appeared to check his swing on a 3-and-2 pitch and began walking to first base when he was called out by third base umpire Jeff Nelson. On the Red Sox radio broadcast  they said it was clearly umpire error on that call.  Ortiz screamed at Nelson, the NESN microphone in the dugout picked up Ortiz calling Nelson’s call “horse-blank.” It was pure manure by another example of umpires gone wild, for the sake of vain. Of course since baseball does not have anything in the Official Rulebook about checked swings, how could you argue any call? Tom Verducci alluded to this quirk in the rules, when he did his one day stand in  as an umpire this spring. Why can’t MLB have the same rule that the NCAA has adopted?

Section 2.0 of the 2007 NCAA Official Baseball rulebook states: A checked swing shall be called a strike if the barrel head of the bat crosses the front edge of home plate, or the batter’s front hip.

Baseball has done some pretty stupid things, but now they have gone too far, kicking Johnny Pesky out of the dugout. I thought they were ignorant last year, when they inducted 17 former “Negro League” players, and left off 94 year old Buck O’Neil last February, and he died in October. Now the Commissioner’s office has sent a stern memo to the Red Sox, threatening them with stiff fines, if they don’t comply with this edict. How does it help the Red Sox, and hurt other teams if Pesky is in the dugout? What if Boston had a petition, and asked every other team in the league, if they had any objections to Johnny being in the dugout? How about if MLB just institutes a 50 year rule. If you are in baseball for 50 years, you can sit in uniform in the dugout, anytime you feel like it. Don Zimmer and Red Schoendienst would also qualify under this rule.

It is time baseball uses common sense when they make a decision. Johnny Pesky is 87 years old, and still likes to put it on his baseball pants “one leg at a time..” Why doesn’t baseball get it, when it comes to the important things in life? Anyone who did not vote for Buck O’Neil should be banned from voting again. The person that signed this memo on Pesky should be tossed out of office. I challenge all fans of baseball to unite! Write to Bud at Bud.Selig@mlb.com Let Johnny Pesky sit in the dugout in 2007! 

I am:

The Fan’s Commish
Rick Swanson

2007 in baseball is going to be known as the year of X. First off is the new Pitch f/x that is taking over where Questec left off. Every park in baseball will have new Pitch f/x operators, that feed information on every pitch thrown in MLB in 2007.

For starters all umpires could be graded on their ball and strike calls, and the information will be accurate, and will be available for all parks, not just the chosen ones that had Questec. Pitch f/x is a term created by Fox, but there is another X factor thrown in. According to Mike Jacob the head of Sportvision that created the Pitch f/x technology. There is the opportunity to transform video gaming. “We could send live pitch data to an Xbox 360 or a simple gaming application on a phone where the user can try to hit live pitches.” That would mean that eventually every fan in America or in Japan could take the live pitches from either Daisuke Matsuzaka or Joel Zumaya and then try to hit them on their own gaming system. With the advent of the Wii gaming system, think of what the future could hold. Eventually the wii joystick will look just like a 34 inch 31 ounce baseball bat. As you stand in your living room and watch a live MLB game, you will be able to take each pitch from the real game, and then try to hit them yourself in your own living room.

Baseball is the one sport where you can put the pitcher on your video monitor, and then watch the wind up and pitch, and then try in real time to see if you can make contact with the gyroball or just swing and miss. Everyone likes to see a 100 mile an hour fastball, but do you think if you stood in living room with a bat in hand, that you really could hit that pitch? MLB is betting that everyone will want to be part of the MLB Game day experience. F/X stands for Fox and Xbox, and if you try hard enough you might be able to hit a pitch just like old “Double X” himself, Jimmie Foxx.

I am:

The Fan’s Commish
Rick Swanson

MLB sends me questions and surveys, in their “Fans at Bat.”
 
Here is some questions that MLB should ask the fans of baseball.
 
1. Should the NL adopt the DH, or should the AL drop the DH?
 
2. Would baseball be better if both the DH and pitcher hit in the line up?
 
3. Should baseball bring back the idea of contraction?
 
4. If baseball did contract 2 teams,  could it be any teams other than Tampa and Florida?
 
5. If baseball had 28 teams would it be more exciting to have 7 division winners and 1 wild card for the playoffs?
 
6. Would a division made up of the Red Sox, Yankees, Mets and Braves be good for the game?
 
7. Should baseball have a salary cap similar to football and basketball?
 
8. Should World Series games start 2 hours earlier than they do now?
 
9. Would it be good for the game if there were two wild cards in each league, and then they had a one game playoff to determine which teams reaches the Divisional Series?
 
I am:

The Fan’s Commish
Rick Swanson

“Hank Bauer is an emblem of a generation that helped shape the landscape of our country. He was a natural leader and a teammate in every sense of the word, and his contributions went well beyond the baseball field. His service to the Yankees, his country, and his family shows why I have been so privileged to call him a friend.” - George Steinbrenner (Press Release, 02/09/2007)

What if baseball incorporated everything right that football does and put it into their sport? The prime example is the starting time of the Super Bowl. The game starts by 6:30 and is finished by 10. Baseball’s best post season moments are at 1:22 in the morning.

The other thing that football understands and baseball doesn’t, is the Hall of Fame. At the Official Site of the Pro Football HOF, you can read about the selection process.

For starters there are only 40 delegates that vote, baseball has over 500. You need 80%, or 32 votes in football. In baseball you need 75% or 375 votes. In football, each year between 3 and 6 new members will be selected.  Another sentence that stood out  was:

Any fan may nominate any qualified person who has been connected with pro football in any capacity simply by writing to the Pro Football Hall of Fame.

Players in football are selected more for greatness than they are for longevity. Gale Sayers only played from 1965-1971. Thurman Munson played from 1969-1979 yet never garnered HOF support, because he did not play long enough. He was rookie of the year, won an MVP, was in 7 All Star games, won 3 gold gloves, and was a member of 2 World Champion teams. He also batted .373 in 16 World Series games.

Look at Paul Horning he was fined $2000, and suspended for the entire 1963 season, for getting caught gambling on the games he was playing in, but he is in Canton. Pete Rose might have paid a higher fine, but never lost any active years. Shoeless Joe Jackson was acquitted by a jury, yet banned for life in baseball.

Now in 2007 football puts their first “crack head” in their shrine. Michael Irvin was twice arrested for cocaine, yet this week when he reaches the pinnacle of his sport, nobody mentioned his arrests in any story about the new hall of famer. What is the worse crime; cocaine or steroids? Baseball feels they are above the law, in the standards that they require for the selection process.

The Veterans committee in baseball only meets every other year now. The last time in 2006 they took a list of 200, and cut it down to 25. Of the remaining 25, none made it in. The two that finished last, from that final 25, were Thurman Munson and Smoky Joe Wood. Wood was one of the greatest pitchers of the Dead Ball era. Of the top 20 in that time he is 9^th and all 8 above him are in Cooperstown. Wood critics have said he only pitched for 7 years. Nobody mentioned that after his arm went dead he became a player for 6 more years.

If this was football, me the fan, would be able to nominate both Smoky Joe Wood and Thurman Munson for the Hall of Fame. What matters is greatness, not longevity.

While we are at it, please put Roger Maris in Cooperstown as well.