I am totally against the ground rule double thing. They should be singles. Heck, I have seen balls hit to the outfield to win games that probably would have been triples if they played it out and they were singles as well.
But no matter where it is hit, or what kind of hit it is, if the game winning run is on third, that ends the game. The ball is dead. The game is over. No one cares about this other than Schur (and apparently once, Joe Dimaggio, who was known to be obsessed with his personal stats and a bit prickly). Anyone who has an alternate opinion probably never thought about this before Joe wrote about Schur's issue, and really the only reason they noticed is because Joe wrote about it.
When the ball lands, and the runner scores, that is it. No one cares where it bounces after that. The home run is different only because the first time it lands, it is already out of the park. This is not rocket science. It is simple, and I don't know why there is anyone who doesn't get it.
This list reminds me a lot of my dad, also a Cleveland guy. He was a professor who also wrote songs (including 2 good ones), and used to say things like "make your life a poem." As I understood this, he meant don't think of it as a Joseph Campbell journey with a singular victory at the core, make the most of the charming little moments. And alas, gone too soon in late 50s, the age I find myself, just a year or so behind you.
On the potential ground rule double, you said the outfielders didn’t even try to catch it, since that would have been a sac fly to end the game anyway. So what if they had tried, and caught it? Sac Fly, 1 RBI, and the rule works for RBI stats! But I still think the rule should be changed!
I remember years ago watching the late great magician Doug Henning talk about developing magic skills. He said you need to go through the following steps: make the impossible difficult, make the difficult easy, and then make the easy entertaining - adding flourishes that have nothing to do with the perfection of the skill itself but make the presentation more fun.
Once Joe finds a kind soul to teach him an impossible card trick this week, he really needs to devote almost all of his free time on vacation to perfecting it before his group of illusionists go their separate ways. The only way for him to ever know if he's got the illusion down cold is from the ones who know how the trick is done. If he gets on that return flight promising himself that he'll work on it to get it right, by then it's too late and his golden opportunity is gone.
This is so technical and nerdy, but comes from someone who's read the NBJHBA like 5 times. I BELIEVE the James comment about Pedro was about factorials, not exponents. But yes; the same principal applies.
I will be 77 in a few months. I have listened to the radio broadcast of the 7th game of the 1962 World Series numerous times. My goal is to hear Willie McCovey’s line shot elude Bobby Richardson’s glove. I’m sure you will reach ALL your goals before I hear mine.
If the butterfly flaps its wings just a little differently and McCovey hits the ball three feet higher, what happens to Peanuts? Does Charlie Brown finally kick Lucy's football? How about the little red haired girl?
That would sure be a good one to change. A couple years ago I went on the Internet looking to see if there was a video of that play. It wasn’t very clear, but I found one and the thing that surprise me was that it was a line drive, but it wasn’t a McCovey super hard hit line drive. It was medium to soft as far as line drives go. At least in my opinion. Everything I had heard was that it was a blistering rocket. But if it had been a few feet either way, it would’ve been a game-winning hit.
On this particular play, one could argue we’ve been scoring plays like this incorrectly all along. If a stolen base isn’t awarded because the defense made no attempt (defensive indifference), why should a fly ball with a 38% hit probability be scored any differently? If we’re trying to be accurate (and I know that quite often baseball does not), shouldn’t this be scored like the sacrifice fly that it truly is?
A home run is, essentially, a ground rule event, since every outfield fence is different. In both cases, the ball is rendered unplayable by leaving the yard whether on the fly or on a hop. They should change the rule and the two events should be scored consistently with each other. Either walk-off homers are singles (which I doubt anyone wants to see), or GR doubles are doubles.
Yeah, I wanted to be able to sing one song beautifully to my wife, Sally. "If I loved you," from the musical carousel. I went to a voice coach who told me it doesn't work that way. You actually have to learn how to sing. I have a terrible voice. I took lessons. We did scales for what seemed like forever. Finally, she gave me a song to sing. "Impossible Dream," I kid you not. Then, "What kind of a fool am I." She insisted she wasn't trolling me. (That was before trolling was a thing.) I sang my heart out on those songs, hoping to get to "If I loved you." She told me I was making progress. Thing was I wasn't hearing myself. She was hearing me. Finally I recorded myself singing those songs. They were so awful, I threw in the towel. So I wish you luck for whatever you hope to accomplish. Some of those items look really difficult.
Ok, you're Joefreakinposnanski! The least they could do was send you something more than a canned response. So typical.
I am totally against the ground rule double thing. They should be singles. Heck, I have seen balls hit to the outfield to win games that probably would have been triples if they played it out and they were singles as well.
But no matter where it is hit, or what kind of hit it is, if the game winning run is on third, that ends the game. The ball is dead. The game is over. No one cares about this other than Schur (and apparently once, Joe Dimaggio, who was known to be obsessed with his personal stats and a bit prickly). Anyone who has an alternate opinion probably never thought about this before Joe wrote about Schur's issue, and really the only reason they noticed is because Joe wrote about it.
When the ball lands, and the runner scores, that is it. No one cares where it bounces after that. The home run is different only because the first time it lands, it is already out of the park. This is not rocket science. It is simple, and I don't know why there is anyone who doesn't get it.
Wow! Several improbable feats in '26:
1. The end of the Browns Diary.
2. Mookie Betts - "league-average hitter in his decline phase" stage of career
3. 3 New HC's in the AFC North.
4. AL Central teams w 4 good SS's : KC - Witt, CWS - Montgomery, Detroit - McGonigle, Cle - Rocchio (but a possibly better - Genoa).
5. Dodgers in an offensive slump.
This list reminds me a lot of my dad, also a Cleveland guy. He was a professor who also wrote songs (including 2 good ones), and used to say things like "make your life a poem." As I understood this, he meant don't think of it as a Joseph Campbell journey with a singular victory at the core, make the most of the charming little moments. And alas, gone too soon in late 50s, the age I find myself, just a year or so behind you.
On the potential ground rule double, you said the outfielders didn’t even try to catch it, since that would have been a sac fly to end the game anyway. So what if they had tried, and caught it? Sac Fly, 1 RBI, and the rule works for RBI stats! But I still think the rule should be changed!
you're more than halfway to writing a song. and the secret is, never try to write a GOOD song.
I remember years ago watching the late great magician Doug Henning talk about developing magic skills. He said you need to go through the following steps: make the impossible difficult, make the difficult easy, and then make the easy entertaining - adding flourishes that have nothing to do with the perfection of the skill itself but make the presentation more fun.
Once Joe finds a kind soul to teach him an impossible card trick this week, he really needs to devote almost all of his free time on vacation to perfecting it before his group of illusionists go their separate ways. The only way for him to ever know if he's got the illusion down cold is from the ones who know how the trick is done. If he gets on that return flight promising himself that he'll work on it to get it right, by then it's too late and his golden opportunity is gone.
This is so technical and nerdy, but comes from someone who's read the NBJHBA like 5 times. I BELIEVE the James comment about Pedro was about factorials, not exponents. But yes; the same principal applies.
I will be 77 in a few months. I have listened to the radio broadcast of the 7th game of the 1962 World Series numerous times. My goal is to hear Willie McCovey’s line shot elude Bobby Richardson’s glove. I’m sure you will reach ALL your goals before I hear mine.
If the butterfly flaps its wings just a little differently and McCovey hits the ball three feet higher, what happens to Peanuts? Does Charlie Brown finally kick Lucy's football? How about the little red haired girl?
That would sure be a good one to change. A couple years ago I went on the Internet looking to see if there was a video of that play. It wasn’t very clear, but I found one and the thing that surprise me was that it was a line drive, but it wasn’t a McCovey super hard hit line drive. It was medium to soft as far as line drives go. At least in my opinion. Everything I had heard was that it was a blistering rocket. But if it had been a few feet either way, it would’ve been a game-winning hit.
Here's a great chocolate cake recipe, it is a little high on effort but relatively forgiving on technique.
https://www.kingarthurbaking.com/recipes/chocolate-fudge-blackout-cake-recipe
On this particular play, one could argue we’ve been scoring plays like this incorrectly all along. If a stolen base isn’t awarded because the defense made no attempt (defensive indifference), why should a fly ball with a 38% hit probability be scored any differently? If we’re trying to be accurate (and I know that quite often baseball does not), shouldn’t this be scored like the sacrifice fly that it truly is?
When Kevin McGonigle ends his lengthy career tied with Tris Speaker at exactly 792 doubles, we'll all know who the REAL Doubles King is.
Post a picture of said “Mambo” shirt
A home run is, essentially, a ground rule event, since every outfield fence is different. In both cases, the ball is rendered unplayable by leaving the yard whether on the fly or on a hop. They should change the rule and the two events should be scored consistently with each other. Either walk-off homers are singles (which I doubt anyone wants to see), or GR doubles are doubles.
Yeah, I wanted to be able to sing one song beautifully to my wife, Sally. "If I loved you," from the musical carousel. I went to a voice coach who told me it doesn't work that way. You actually have to learn how to sing. I have a terrible voice. I took lessons. We did scales for what seemed like forever. Finally, she gave me a song to sing. "Impossible Dream," I kid you not. Then, "What kind of a fool am I." She insisted she wasn't trolling me. (That was before trolling was a thing.) I sang my heart out on those songs, hoping to get to "If I loved you." She told me I was making progress. Thing was I wasn't hearing myself. She was hearing me. Finally I recorded myself singing those songs. They were so awful, I threw in the towel. So I wish you luck for whatever you hope to accomplish. Some of those items look really difficult.
https://youtu.be/FClSLcHutDs
If that link works it’s Bill Murray and Clint Eastwood singing Brandy by Looking Glass! Can Bill sing? Sorta- but he does it with heart.
If it is indeed true that "it's the thought that counts," then you have won the day, sir.