Many in the early days of sabermetrics would cite Zoilo Versalles as a bad MVP choice, an example of faulty decision making by the BBWAA. Then WAR was created and they realized maybe he was the right choice after all. A SS who leads the league in total bases, wins a Gold Glove, while producing 7.2 rWAR isn’t one of the worst choices ever. He was the correct choice for both traditionalists and the analytics crowd.
I saw the call for why we love baseball, and I want you to read Grant Bisbee's column in The Athletic today (1/25/22) about Tim Lincecum. This column was an amazing read and captures perfectly why baseball players are often the reason we love the game.
Cepeda in 1967 led the league in RBI, hit .325, and was by far the best player on a first place team. It should be no surprise he was unanimous. Why would they vote for a guy with similar numbers on a non first place team? Also Caminiti was unanimous in 1996 because he went absolutely bananas the second half of the season, while Piazza faded. For most of the season it was a given that Piazza would win it.
I was at this game at Old Comiskey in late August of 1985. Blue Jays ace Dave Steib faced off against the great, but diminished Tom Seaver. It turned out to be one of Steib's near misses. George Bell hit a home run onto the roof in left field in the sixth. Steib had a no hitter going into the bottom of the ninth leading 6-0. The White Sox ended the no hit bid with back to back to back homers. The first two were off Steib. The the Jays brought in Gary LaVelle and Harold Baines hit one into the center field bleachers which was almost as rare as the roof shot in Old Comiskey. The Jays had to summon ace reliever Tom Henke to finish off the win. Off all the improbable feats in that game the most improbable was probably the middle homer in the Sox back to back to back ambush. That homer was one of the three career home runs hit by Bryan Little, the Sox second baseman.
Jim Rice carried a child to get medical treatment after getting beaned in the face in the stands. His quick reaction apparently helped a great deal -- the kid had a lot of head trauma.
Jim Ed was my favorite player as a kid -- poster up on my wall, dreams that he'd be my Ted (my dad's hero). The photo of that moment always makes me well up ... and feel good about my choice, even if he never quite sustained the magical heights I hoped for.
"Attending the game with his parents and brother, the youngster was watching from the second row of seats on the left side of the Red Sox dugout when Stapleton’s foul rocket screeched into the crowd. The ball struck Keane over the left eye. Instantly, there was profuse bleeding from the child’s head.
"Rick Miller popped his head out of the Red Sox dugout, saw the blood, and called for Red Sox trainer Charlie Moss.
"'He didn’t have a chance,' said Miller. 'It was a sickening sight. It was the most sickening thing I’ve ever seen in the stands. Jerry (Remy) was in the runway when Jim went by with the kid and Jerry said he almost threw up.'
"Jim Rice acted quickly. He darted to the railing and the child was passed into his arms. Rice carried the youngster through the dugout runway, into the Red Sox clubhouse and into the trainer’s room. Red Sox physician Dr. Arthur Pappas, who’d been watching from his customary box seat, beat Rice to the trainer’s room, called Children’s Hospital and ordered an ambulance. Pappas estimated that the child was in the ambulance less than two minutes after being hit.
"...Rice downplayed his dramatic role. 'If it was your kid, what would you do?,' he said. 'The baby was crying and there was a lot of blood. I think he was more in shock than anything.'"
Great article! One of the reasons of why I love Baseball is players having outstanding seasons over the years of guys who’ll probably never make it to the HOF. Rosen in ‘53, Maris in ‘61, Torre in ‘71 (mainly in HOF as a manager), Foster in ‘77, Canseco in ‘88, Stanton in ‘17 and Ohtani in ‘21. You rarely see that in the NBA or the NFL.
June 15, 1988, Durham Bulls vs. Fayetteville Generals, Burt Brooks hits a home run and the “free steak dinner bull” over the right field fence off of rookie phenom pitcher Ebby Calvin "Nuke" LaLoosh - “Crash” Davis was catching.
My favorite baseball moment is deeply tied, like it is for many, to my childhood. I was 7 years old when Don Mattingly snagged a handful of popcorn from a fan in the front row, a kid not much older than I was at the time. It's perhaps the first time I really understood that baseball players were actual normal quirky humans, and not just avatars I watched on television or in the stadium like movie characters. All these years later, seeing the gif show up on Twitter always fills my heart with a little pang of that old "baseball magic" glee that too much of the game's subsequent history has tried to quash.
For games I was at: Will Clark up the middle off of the "Wild Thing." JT Snow hitting a tying HR in the 9th against the Mets in 2000 at the brand new ballpark only to lose the playoff game in extras. Sitting in the bleachers at Candlestick with my friends and losing to the Pirates 11-10 where the lead changed so many times. Going to one of many doubleheaders with my dad and seeing the Giants hit 5 home runs in one of those game, including their 10,000th.
One I wasn't at was game 5 of the 2012 NLDS, Giants vs. Reds. Buster Posey up against the loathed Mat Latos with the bases loaded. Watching Latos shake off sign after sign from the catcher before throwing a pitch that Posey parked deep in the outfield seats. I'll never get tired of watching the catcher immediately pop up and walk away in disgust.
Dbacks beating the mighty Yankees on a walk-off from one of the most unlikely heroes (Luis Gonzalez, a former nobody who blossomed in the desert) off of one of the most unlikely goats (Mariano Rivera, probably the actual GOAT). The stuff you dream of.
It may sound a little recency bias-y, but I'd have to go with Dan Johnson's home run that put the Rays in the playoffs as my favorite baseball moment.
First, it happened on my birthday. My plans that evening did not originally involve "watch four to five hours of baseball" but crazy crazy stuff kept happening. It's not just that Johnson (a .119 hitter) hit a walkoff in the 12th to get into the playoffs, but a million other things had to happen that day for it to even mean anything - namely the Red Sox collapsing in the 9th inning of their game which would have put them in ahead of the Rays. I kept telling myself that I had other things to do, but I could not stop watching the insanity that was unfolding and it all culminated with that home run.
Also, none if would have mattered if there had been expanded playoffs in 2011.
Going to minor league games with my kids when they were young and incredibly excited to see the mascot come near our seats.
Riding my bike to the DQ for ice cream any time our little league team won.
Some random summer game in 1974 going to Shea Stadium with my grandfather back when the Yanks were playing in Queens as YSII was being refurbished. It was my first game and everything was so big and bright and loud and wonderful.
June 26, 1977 sitting in the cheap seats at the old Met with my cousins and brother watching as Rod Carew got his BA over .400 for the first time in that magical summer.
Some random summer game in 1983 when 15 year old me kissed a really cute girl while we were sitting in the bleachers at The Murph in San Diego.
A moment for me was Jimmy Qualls breaking up Tom Seaver's perfect game in 1969. A rookie with barely a reason to be in the majors comes up in the middle of the pennant race against one of the dominant pitchers of the era on one his most dominant days. One of the great things about baseball is that even the greatest are sometimes beaten by the least.
A "moment" that got to me that had nothing to do with a championship run or a team I root for was when Dee Gordon hit a leadoff home run in the first game the Marlins played after Jose Fernandez' death. Man that choked me up.
Many in the early days of sabermetrics would cite Zoilo Versalles as a bad MVP choice, an example of faulty decision making by the BBWAA. Then WAR was created and they realized maybe he was the right choice after all. A SS who leads the league in total bases, wins a Gold Glove, while producing 7.2 rWAR isn’t one of the worst choices ever. He was the correct choice for both traditionalists and the analytics crowd.
I saw the call for why we love baseball, and I want you to read Grant Bisbee's column in The Athletic today (1/25/22) about Tim Lincecum. This column was an amazing read and captures perfectly why baseball players are often the reason we love the game.
Cepeda in 1967 led the league in RBI, hit .325, and was by far the best player on a first place team. It should be no surprise he was unanimous. Why would they vote for a guy with similar numbers on a non first place team? Also Caminiti was unanimous in 1996 because he went absolutely bananas the second half of the season, while Piazza faded. For most of the season it was a given that Piazza would win it.
https://www.baseball-reference.com/boxes/CHA/CHA198508240.shtml
I was at this game at Old Comiskey in late August of 1985. Blue Jays ace Dave Steib faced off against the great, but diminished Tom Seaver. It turned out to be one of Steib's near misses. George Bell hit a home run onto the roof in left field in the sixth. Steib had a no hitter going into the bottom of the ninth leading 6-0. The White Sox ended the no hit bid with back to back to back homers. The first two were off Steib. The the Jays brought in Gary LaVelle and Harold Baines hit one into the center field bleachers which was almost as rare as the roof shot in Old Comiskey. The Jays had to summon ace reliever Tom Henke to finish off the win. Off all the improbable feats in that game the most improbable was probably the middle homer in the Sox back to back to back ambush. That homer was one of the three career home runs hit by Bryan Little, the Sox second baseman.
4milecreektradingpost
Moment: August 7, 1982
Jim Rice carried a child to get medical treatment after getting beaned in the face in the stands. His quick reaction apparently helped a great deal -- the kid had a lot of head trauma.
Jim Ed was my favorite player as a kid -- poster up on my wall, dreams that he'd be my Ted (my dad's hero). The photo of that moment always makes me well up ... and feel good about my choice, even if he never quite sustained the magical heights I hoped for.
https://medium.com/exploring-history/the-day-hall-of-famer-jim-rice-saved-a-little-boys-life-c439d171c308
From a game report:
"Attending the game with his parents and brother, the youngster was watching from the second row of seats on the left side of the Red Sox dugout when Stapleton’s foul rocket screeched into the crowd. The ball struck Keane over the left eye. Instantly, there was profuse bleeding from the child’s head.
"Rick Miller popped his head out of the Red Sox dugout, saw the blood, and called for Red Sox trainer Charlie Moss.
"'He didn’t have a chance,' said Miller. 'It was a sickening sight. It was the most sickening thing I’ve ever seen in the stands. Jerry (Remy) was in the runway when Jim went by with the kid and Jerry said he almost threw up.'
"Jim Rice acted quickly. He darted to the railing and the child was passed into his arms. Rice carried the youngster through the dugout runway, into the Red Sox clubhouse and into the trainer’s room. Red Sox physician Dr. Arthur Pappas, who’d been watching from his customary box seat, beat Rice to the trainer’s room, called Children’s Hospital and ordered an ambulance. Pappas estimated that the child was in the ambulance less than two minutes after being hit.
"...Rice downplayed his dramatic role. 'If it was your kid, what would you do?,' he said. 'The baby was crying and there was a lot of blood. I think he was more in shock than anything.'"
https://www.bostonglobe.com/sports/1982/08/08/jim-rice-quick-reaction-helps-save-child-struck-ball/k5k8wxJQ8SSVANhsD6rInO/story.html
I love those stories/"moments" about players rising above the ballgame and responding as people.
Great article! One of the reasons of why I love Baseball is players having outstanding seasons over the years of guys who’ll probably never make it to the HOF. Rosen in ‘53, Maris in ‘61, Torre in ‘71 (mainly in HOF as a manager), Foster in ‘77, Canseco in ‘88, Stanton in ‘17 and Ohtani in ‘21. You rarely see that in the NBA or the NFL.
I think Mantle deserved the MVP in ‘61.
What if we've ordered both books to be signed, but with different orders? Do we quality to not win a special prize?
June 15, 1988, Durham Bulls vs. Fayetteville Generals, Burt Brooks hits a home run and the “free steak dinner bull” over the right field fence off of rookie phenom pitcher Ebby Calvin "Nuke" LaLoosh - “Crash” Davis was catching.
https://youtu.be/85RZMIAL7vM
My favorite baseball moment is deeply tied, like it is for many, to my childhood. I was 7 years old when Don Mattingly snagged a handful of popcorn from a fan in the front row, a kid not much older than I was at the time. It's perhaps the first time I really understood that baseball players were actual normal quirky humans, and not just avatars I watched on television or in the stadium like movie characters. All these years later, seeing the gif show up on Twitter always fills my heart with a little pang of that old "baseball magic" glee that too much of the game's subsequent history has tried to quash.
For games I was at: Will Clark up the middle off of the "Wild Thing." JT Snow hitting a tying HR in the 9th against the Mets in 2000 at the brand new ballpark only to lose the playoff game in extras. Sitting in the bleachers at Candlestick with my friends and losing to the Pirates 11-10 where the lead changed so many times. Going to one of many doubleheaders with my dad and seeing the Giants hit 5 home runs in one of those game, including their 10,000th.
One I wasn't at was game 5 of the 2012 NLDS, Giants vs. Reds. Buster Posey up against the loathed Mat Latos with the bases loaded. Watching Latos shake off sign after sign from the catcher before throwing a pitch that Posey parked deep in the outfield seats. I'll never get tired of watching the catcher immediately pop up and walk away in disgust.
Dbacks beating the mighty Yankees on a walk-off from one of the most unlikely heroes (Luis Gonzalez, a former nobody who blossomed in the desert) off of one of the most unlikely goats (Mariano Rivera, probably the actual GOAT). The stuff you dream of.
It may sound a little recency bias-y, but I'd have to go with Dan Johnson's home run that put the Rays in the playoffs as my favorite baseball moment.
First, it happened on my birthday. My plans that evening did not originally involve "watch four to five hours of baseball" but crazy crazy stuff kept happening. It's not just that Johnson (a .119 hitter) hit a walkoff in the 12th to get into the playoffs, but a million other things had to happen that day for it to even mean anything - namely the Red Sox collapsing in the 9th inning of their game which would have put them in ahead of the Rays. I kept telling myself that I had other things to do, but I could not stop watching the insanity that was unfolding and it all culminated with that home run.
Also, none if would have mattered if there had been expanded playoffs in 2011.
Lots of favorites.
Going to minor league games with my kids when they were young and incredibly excited to see the mascot come near our seats.
Riding my bike to the DQ for ice cream any time our little league team won.
Some random summer game in 1974 going to Shea Stadium with my grandfather back when the Yanks were playing in Queens as YSII was being refurbished. It was my first game and everything was so big and bright and loud and wonderful.
June 26, 1977 sitting in the cheap seats at the old Met with my cousins and brother watching as Rod Carew got his BA over .400 for the first time in that magical summer.
Some random summer game in 1983 when 15 year old me kissed a really cute girl while we were sitting in the bleachers at The Murph in San Diego.
Game 7 of the 1992 NLCS when Sid slid.
A moment for me was Jimmy Qualls breaking up Tom Seaver's perfect game in 1969. A rookie with barely a reason to be in the majors comes up in the middle of the pennant race against one of the dominant pitchers of the era on one his most dominant days. One of the great things about baseball is that even the greatest are sometimes beaten by the least.
A "moment" that got to me that had nothing to do with a championship run or a team I root for was when Dee Gordon hit a leadoff home run in the first game the Marlins played after Jose Fernandez' death. Man that choked me up.