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Tag Archives: Houston Astros
Wait ’til Next Year
The drouth was over. It ended the only way it could. A rebarbative, plague-infected, player celebrated along with the still-healthy ones. After six games. Some fans were inside a gleaming hitherto-unused, untested (no pun in this “get-tested” era) stadium: the … Continue reading
Posted in Baseball, Cricket, IPL, Right Off the Bat Website, Stadiums
Tagged Al Kaline, Amed Rosario, analytics, Aroldis Chapman, Atlanta Braves, Babe Ruth, batting average, Bob Gibson, Boston Red Sox, Buffalo Bisons, Chicago Black Sox scandal, Cricket, designated hitter, doubleheader, exit velocity, Florida Marlins, Globe Life Field, Hal Chase, home run, Horace Clarke, Hot Stove League, Houston Astros, ICC, Joe Morgan, Justin Turner, launch angle, Literature, live-ball era, lively ball, Los Angeles Dodgers, Lou Brock, Major League Baseball, Major League Baseball Players Association, Mark Twain, Mendoza Line, Miami Marlins, minor leagues, National League, New York Mets, Philadelphia Phillies, Ronald Reagan, Sabermetrics, Sahlen Field, Spring Training, Steve Cohen, strikeout (K), Subway Series, Summer Olympics, Theo Epstein, Tom Seaver, Tony Clark, Toronto Blue Jays, Whitey Ford, World Series
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The Ol’ Neighborhood Play
The pitcher does a little shuffle: By the time the ball’s released his back foot is ten inches in front of the rubber. The ball whizzing toward the batter is loaded with pine-tar or similar foreign-substance; or the ball’s been … Continue reading
Great Stadiums (10): Big Beautiful Shea Stadium
I (Evander) went wild first visiting the then-new home of the New York Mets (short for Metropolitans), something like 55 years ago. Ground was broken for “Flushing Meadow Park Municipal Stadium” on October 28, 1961. Shea was McLuhan-cool. It had … Continue reading
Posted in Baseball, Right Off the Bat Book, Stadiums
Tagged Astrodome, Bill Shea, Houston Astros, Jane Jarvis, Joe Namath, Literature, Major League Baseball, Mike Piazza, National League Championship Series, New York Mets, Nolan Ryan, Pat Jarvis, Shea Stadium, Stadiums, Tom Seaver, World Series
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Prospect Pipeline
As the 2018 MLB season dawns and hope springs eternal, it precedes the draft by nine weeks (June 4 to 6). Months before that and earlier in blooming careers, Perfect Game, once a term solely relating to pitchers mowing down … Continue reading
Not Cricket: “Bat Form”
Front-office personnel of the venerable St. Louis Cardinals franchise have plenty of explaining to do as the FBI investigates their hacking of the Houston Astros’s databases. Besides the Times, Reuters has now weighed in to let the rest of the … Continue reading
Great Stadiums (5): Houston, We Have a Problem
The NRG Astrodome, once The Eighth Wonder Of The World in Houston, may (or may not) succumb to the wreckers’ ball, as Ebbets Field did, as the Polo Grounds did, as countless great ballparks have, unless a lot of people … Continue reading
Predicting the 2013 Baseball Season
The 2013 baseball season, which opens on April Fools’ Day, promises to make a fool of all prognosticators. Nothing new in this. How could one imagine the Fall Classic when spring has barely sprung? To make things even a little … Continue reading
Posted in Baseball, Right Off the Bat Book, Right Off the Bat Website, Yankees
Tagged Albert Pujols, Alex Rodriguez, American League, Andre Ethier, Andrew McCutchen, Aramis Ramirez, Arizona Diamondbacks, Aroldis Chapman, Atlanta Braves, Baltimore Orioles, Bill James, Boston Red Sox, Brian Wilson, Bryce Harper, Buck Showalter, Buster Posey, Carl Pavano, Carlos Gomez, Chicago Cubs, Cincinnati Reds, Clayton Kershaw, Colorado Rockies, Curtis Granderson, Davey Johnson, David Wright, Derek Jeter, Detroit Tigers, Don Mattingly, Felix Hernandez, Fred Lynn, George Steinbrenner, Houston Astros, Ian Desmond, Jackie Bradley Jr., Jesus Montero, Jim Johnson, Jim Leyland, Joe Mauer, Johan Santana, Josh Hamilton, Justin Morneau, Justin Verlander, Los Angeles Angels of Anaheim, Los Angeles Dodgers, Major League Baseball, Manny Machado, Marco Scutaro, Mariano Rivera, Mark Teixeira, Marlins Park, Matt Kemp, Miami Marlins, Michael Pineda, Mickey Mantle, Miguel Cabrera, Mike Trout, Minnesota Twins, National League, New York Mets, New York Yankees, Nick Markakis, Norichika Aoki, Oakland Athletics, Pablo Sandoval, Phil Hughes, Philadelphia Phillies, Pittsburgh Pirates, Prince Fielder, R. A. Dickey, Robinson Cano, Rogers Centre, Ron Gardenhire, Ryan Braun, San Diego Padres, San Francisco Giants, St. Louis Cardinals, Stephen Strasburg, Theo Epstein, Tim Lincecum, Toronto Blue Jays, Triple Crown, Washington Nationals, World Series, Wrigley Field
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Peace in Our Time
Major League Baseball has a new labor agreement thro December 2016. As part of the deal, players will be tested for Human Growth Hormone and the minimum salary will approach half-a-million dollars a year. There will be no NBA-style season-disruptions … Continue reading
Posted in Baseball, Right Off the Bat Website
Tagged American League, Houston Astros, Wild Card
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It Just Got Wilder
As announced earlier, the Houston Astros, the team that entered the National League along with the New York Mets in 1962, will slide over to the American League right after the club’s fiftieth-anniversary celebration as an N.L. team. Two Wild … Continue reading
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