TAKE TWO AND HIT TO RIGHT

By Jim Driscoll

“Take Two And Hit To Right” is an enjoyable and sometimes satirical insight into the heart and soul of the grand old game of Baseball. It covers its historical beginnings, as well as its make-up and growth, as it grew into the fabric of our National Pastime. It covers all of the surrounding aspects of the game, from Little League level all the way up to the Major Leagues, from the cat-calls from the stands to the lexicon of its play-by-play. Even its depiction up on the silver screen is reviewed. It’s all about the Game, with all of the fundamental components that make it such an enjoyable and entertaining treat to fans everywhere.

• Language: English
• Publisher: Xlibris US
• Release date: Oct 12, 2023
• ISBN: 9798369406052

Jim Driscoll

Jim Driscoll was born in Detroit, Michigan, on May 10, 1942. He graduated from the University of Detroit in 1964 with a liberal arts degree, majoring in history and English. In late 1970, after a divorce earlier that year, he moved to Los Angeles, California, with his young son and raised him in Southern California. In June 2000, after thirty-five years of service, he retired from General Motors Acceptance Corporation, the automobile financial arm of General Motors. After retiring, he followed his son's family in his son's employment relocations to San Francisco, California, then Vancouver, British Columbia, and now resides in Vancouver, Washington, near the Oregon border, as his son and family now themselves reside in nearby West Linn, Oregon.

Book preview

Copyright © 2023 by Jim Driscoll.

All rights reserved. No part of this book may be reproduced or transmitted

in any form or by any means, electronic or mechanical, including photocopying,

recording, or by any information storage and retrieval system,

without permission in writing from the copyright owner.

Any people depicted in stock imagery provided by Getty Images are models,

and such images are being used for illustrative purposes only.

Certain stock imagery © Getty Images.

Rev. date: 10/10/2023

Xlibris

844-714-8691

www.Xlibris.com

854294

CONTENTS

Dedication

Foreword

Baseball Beginnings

Opening Day

Quips, Barbs And Self-Deprecating Baseball

The Baseball Lexicon

The Grandstand

The Baseball Police

The Trivia Of Baseball

The Scorekeeper

The Baseball Code

Legends Of Baseball: Position Players

Legends Of The Game: Pitchers

The Stories Of Baseball

Venues Of The Game

Baseball Movies

A Day At The Ballpark!

17 Inches

Dedication To The Game

A Baseball Prayer

Post Script

DEDICATION

This effort on the minutia of Baseball is dedicated to my son, Tim, Little Leaguer through Division One college player, and now High School Baseball coach, and his endearing Baseball family: Baseball mom, Melissa; granddaughter Samantha, Little Leaguer and then H.S. softball player-enthusiast; grandson Ryan, who played from Little League all the way up through a full college Baseball term; and his younger brother Colin, who similarly has played from Little League up to college Baseball (and is still active, now a Junior on the St. Martin’s University Baseball Team).

Combined they have been a synergy of Baseball success, and in helping win a variety of multiple Little League and Babe Ruth League championships though the years, and even at higher levels of the game.

It was Tim’s idea for this book. He knows a lot about Baseball. Let’s hope this was a good idea for me to accept.

FOREWORD

There are many Baseball books on the market. Books on biographies of Baseball legends, books on hitting, fielding, and pitching strategy. Books on World Series history & highlights, and even books on BB mythology, trivia, jokes and riddles. Most of them are for those aficionados who know and enjoy the game, and appreciate all the nuances and Baseball lore that are part of the game.

This book is really a little bit of all of those books. But its approach is more intended to generally address the newcomer to the game. Perhaps it may be best suited for maybe the new Little League ‘parent’, the mom or even dad who are being exposed to the game for really the first time, through the early efforts of their young son or daughter, as he or she comes of age to sign up for possibly their first season of competition on the diamond. Six or seven years old, and all that early pressure! And yes, it is early pressure that they feel, and how they handle it may well rest in part or in whole with that parent who wants his child to succeed... as all parents do.

And, to be the best parent in regard to this early challenge, it is important, and most helpful, to know a little bit about the game that we call our American Pastime. Now, good parental oversight does not necessarily require that we know every facet of the game, just like a good driver does not require one to be an expert mechanic. But a little inside knowledge surely helps everyone involved, including a parent... among other attendees... as the play unfolds on the playing field.

This effort, however, does not pretend to offer a good psychology to the relationship of parent and performer in the game of Baseball, or involve any individual or team sport. Most of that side of the struggle is rooted in common sense, anyway. We’ll leave the coaching of the game to the Baseball coaches and assistants, especially at the early beginning stages.

Rather, our efforts here are to simply to ingrain a sense of familiarity to the game, so that you know, in at least a general way, what’s going on out there on the field, and why a particular play was right or wrong for the situation that unfolded, and, in the long run, maybe figure out why or how it could have been executed better.

Baseball is a team sport, and all nine players on any given team take part in any win or loss on any given day. A player who may never even touch the ball during the entire game can and will likely contribute his influence in that game and possibly affect its outcome. And yet, it is a game of individual accomplishments blended into a synergy of team effort that can win or lose the game. It has been said that Baseball is a Game of Statistics, as well as a Game of Inches. So, we shall herein review both realities, and see why this sport is not only America’s Pastime, but support the contention that it remains our Number One pastime, over any other sport, though some may stubbornly disagree.

And so, we shall review the fundamentals of the game, position by position. We’ll take a look at those men who have excelled in its performance, and become legends of the game. We’ll review some unbelievable events that are now part of its history, and some statistics that defy explanation. We’ll review some crazy stories, accomplishments and paradoxes that almost defy imagination. We’ll take a look some of the clever (and even not-so-clever) quotations of the game, and Baseball slang, and even review a few nostalgic nuanced memories that many have personally experienced over the years. We’ll even look at what Hollywood had brought us in storied fashion... both biographically, dramatically or fictionally... about the great game of Baseball.

Yes, Baseball, after all, is just a game, but some contend that Baseball mirrors the Game of Life. Sounds a bit melodramatic, I know. But, if one takes the game seriously, and many do, who’s to say otherwise. Life, some say, like Baseball, is just a series of plays... one related to another. And, in life, you are at times forced to take chances, hoping for the better outcome. And... in order to steal second base, you’ll never do it until you decide to chance taking your foot off first base.

So they say!!!

So here’s to the Grand Old Game... some of the basics, some of the oddities, some of the Heroes, some of the records, and a little bit of history. It may be somewhat redundant to some experienced fans, but maybe even they can pick up an item or two about the game they seem to love.

And so, as the beloved umpire often bellows out at the start of every game: LET’S PLAY BALL !!!

--- Jim Driscoll ---

BASEBALL BEGINNINGS

Contrary to legend, Abner Doubleday did not invent the game of Baseball. Some 16 years after his death, A. J. Spalding, sports goods magnate and former player, set up a special commission to explore Baseball’s origins, in 1907. Using flimsy evidence, including testimony from a former associate of Doubleday’s, the false narrative was formulated, and managed to stick.

But there were references to the game dating back as far as the 18th century (!), with its likely most direct ancestors being two English games: Rounders and Cricket. Doubleday, however, was credited with some formulation of the game around the late 1830’s, and still is, in some circles. (He later became a Civil War hero.)

By the time of the American Revolution variations of the game were being played in schoolyards, neighborhood lots and college campuses all over the country.

In September of 1845, a group of New York City men founded the New York Knickerbocker Baseball Club. One of the men, Alexander Cartwright, codified a new set of rules that formed modern Baseball. This included the diamond formation, the foul lines, the 3-strike rule, and the abolishment of tagging runners out by throwing balls at them. It kind of modernized the game and differentiated it from some of the other games, like the aforementioned cricket.

In 1846 the N.Y. Knickerboxers played the very first official game of Baseball... versus a team of cricket players. In so doing, a new American tradition began!

Major League Baseball in essence began on February 2nd, 1876, when the National League of Baseball was founded. It replaced the National Association of Professional Baseball Players which had existed from 1871 to that time. The National League came to be known as the Senior Circuit, preceding formation of the American League, or Junior Circuit, by 25 years. The first game in National League history took place on April 22nd, 1876, between Philadelphia and Boston, at Philadelphia’s Jefferson Street Grounds, with Boston winning, 6 - 5. The National League, however, had strong competition well before the American League came into play. The American Association began play in 1882, playing in cities where the National League did not have a team. Not only that, they offered Sunday games (which the National League did not), alcoholic beverages, and the seat prices were half that of the National League (25 cents compared to 50 cents!).

By 1883, the National League had struck back, adding new teams in American Association cities. Thus during the ten year co-existence of the NL and the AA there were seven instances of a version of the World Series, each one consisting of from 3 to 15 games. Due to disputes and somewhat poor organization, two of the Series, in 1885 and 1890, somehow ended in ties!!

There were other leagues formed as well, like the Union Association, in 1884, and the Player’s League, in 1890. The National League, in an effort to stay alive, often raided other rosters throughout this period.

The American Association eventually disbanded and merged into the National League, thus from around 1883 through 1900 the National League was a dominant 12-team monopoly. By 1900, however, attendance was dwindling. Player conduct was poor, there were often fights in the stands and contentious behavior towards the umpiring. It was, in essence, well out of control. One event, in 1894, showcased the potential danger of the lack of control of the game. In a game between Boston and the Orioles, at Boston, a fight broke out in the stands, leading to a fire that was started there. The blaze got out of control and it eventually spread and destroyed or damaged 100 buildings nearby. Team owners were often arguing during this volatile period, and players hated the $2,400.00 salary cap. In addition, teams often ran afoul with local city governments over recreational activities that were banned by some relating to Sunday play.

The National League then pared back from a 12-team league, eliminating Baltimore, Cleveland, Louisville and Washington. In 1900, an opposing league was formed, and three of these teams, all but Louisville, received franchises in the minor Western League, which changed its name at this time to the ‘American League’.

On January 28th, 1901, the American League declared itself a second Major League, adding Boston, Chicago, New York, Philadelphia and St. Louis to the those three ‘abandoned’ teams: Cleveland, Washington and Baltimore. The American League enforced a strict code of conduct, unlike the rambunctious National League. The National League, of course, opposed them for awhile, but when the money began to split between both leagues, and following two years of bitter contention, reality set in, and a national agreement was signed in 1903.

Each league accepted its counterpart as an equal partner in Major League Baseball, respecting player contracts, and agreeing to play in a post-season championship World Series. The two leagues format remained unchanged for 60 years, at which time expansion began to develop, eventually leading to the formatted conference divisions we have today.

Like any successful entity, Baseball had to, and has, evolved over the years. The leagues still have important differences, but essentially the game itself remains consistent. Now, instead of competition from within the sport, it faces competition from other sports. It remains America’s Pastime, although I’m sure some avid football fans would differ on that placement. It has the longest season, plays the most games, and heralds spring and summer into the sports fans psychic. It is played around the world, and especially throughout America... on the sandlots and in small and large towns, campuses and makeshift ballfields everywhere. There is still no better way to spend a Sunday afternoon, hot dog in one hand, scorebook in the other, at a big league Baseball game, rooting for your favorite team. Its National Anthem: Take Me Out To The Ballgame (written, oddly enough, by a man who had never attended a professional ballgame at the time), is sung at every 7th inning stretch across the land. And no game, no matter how lop-sided the score may be, is ever over ‘til it’s over. I think Yogi said that. And he was right on the money.

OPENING DAY

There is something magical about Opening Day in Baseball, especially at the Major League level. It’s really true at every level, even Little League, with the team parades and such, but at the Major League level it usually involves your very first look at the pristine, manicured diamond and playing field, as it slowly first comes into view past the big steel girders, or as you are walking up the section ramp and out into the open seating area.

That first glance... that first exposure... when you first get to take it all in at once... is mesmerizing. Even more so if, like myself, you grew up in a cold winter climate as I did, in greater Detroit, Michigan. After months of cold, frigid temperatures, and almost virtual human hibernation, Opening Day not only signaled the beginning of the Baseball season, but the beginning of Spring, even if the Vernal Equinox had already officially occurred a week or so before. This was true whether it was actually truly Opening Day, or even if it was was your first trip to the park for the new season. The effect was the same... awe-inspiring and great!

Of course, even before you got to see the playing field, as I did at historic Briggs Stadium, later dubbed Tiger Stadium, you could smell it. As you entered the turnstiles you could almost immediately savor the smell of baseball... in the form of the All-American hot dog, and that incomparable adjoining aroma of mustard to compliment its savory deliciousness --- in all its glory.

But it was the field... that huge, impeccably rich-green mantle of grass spread across the infield and large, expansive outfield, that brought a sense of awe and inspiration to my senses. I had not seen such a hue of green, ever, nor had I seen much of any hue of any green over the previous 6 months or so. Michigan winters can be so bleak and colorless, dark and lifeless. But this first visit... brought hope and vitality, and a sense of rebirth to life as we knew it. Baseball season meant springtime, a warming sun, and excitement once more