Tag Archives: National Baseball Hall of Fame

Good-bye, Mel

One of my (Evander) heroes, Mel Stottlemyre, is gone. With a 2.97 ERA and possessor of one of the great sinker balls, Mel was headed for the Baseball Hall of Fame if not for shoulder problems. I remember his first … Continue reading

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Baseball and Pythagoras; or, Finger Painting the Word Picture by Numbers

The Right off the Bat (ROTB) project was angled toward the hallowed halls of Cooperstown this week. Since we have rescheduled for 2019 or probably into the 2020s, permit me (Evander), in this our 601st blog and with little else … Continue reading

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Streaking

Like the proverbial first-small-step of the longest journey, record-MLB streaks begin innocently enough. Each captures the imagination of the public in different ways. The most enthralling streaks occur over the course of a season. A few, equally impressive, are accomplished … Continue reading

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Come Together this Bloomsday

The 2017 Congressional Baseball Game takes on uncharacteristic heroic dimensions among the Legislative Branch of government tonight. Naturally enough, the US government itself and professional baseball at its highest level go way back to the institution of the reserve clause … Continue reading

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Getting All Political, but Not What You May Think

For several dozen reasons, President Obama’s historic visit to Cuba on the first day of spring 2016 is historic. We at Right off the Bat have covered everything from baseball in Iran to (probably somewhere in this blog, certainly in … Continue reading

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Ed Reulbach: Pioneering Jewish Baseball Star (to which I, Evander, add a *)

In the history of MLB, only one pitcher has thrown shutouts in both ends of a doubleheader. (For cricket fans and the many baseball fans too young to remember or know, the regularly scheduled doubleheader means two games in one … Continue reading

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Dazzy Vance and W. C. Fields

In 1926, W. C. Fields filmed It’s the Old Army Game. The silent movie has something to do with Florida real-estate scams. Perhaps it’s best remembered for showcasing the complex and alluring Midwesterner Louise Brooks before she left Hollywood pictures … Continue reading

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Baby, You’re a Rich Man…and I Guess a Free One Now

Bulletin: The Department of Justice will not appeal a court ruling that clears Barry Bonds of obstruction in a probe over steroids. Such ends criminal prosecution of Major League Baseball’s career home-run leader. Thank goodness for this news on the … Continue reading

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“Americanizing” the Original Americans thro Baseball

This book tells a harsh story of late-19th-century race and baseball in the U.S. Set at a federally funded boarding school, where indoctrination in what was rapidly becoming the National Pastime would “transform” (read civilize) Native Americans into “Americans,” the … Continue reading

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The Greatest Hitter Ever May Not Be Who(m) You Think

I (Evander) was in some Hotstove/Grapefruit/Cactus Leagues discussions with friends. One, a mathematician named Paul, said he had seen an ESPN claim that the three greatest St. Louis Cardinals were Stan Musial, Bob Gibson, and Ozzie Smith. We love the … Continue reading

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