Why does a curveball curve? What is a “can of corn”? Why was Joe DiMaggio called the “Yankee Clipper”? Who wrote “Take Me Out to the Ball Game”? How many times did Ty Cobb steal home? In this edition of Baseball Miscellany, the fascinating history and lore of our national pastime is finally revealed! For example, the reason a curveball curves is that its spin drags a layer of air across one surface of the ball faster than it does across the opposite surface. A “can of corn” is slang for an easy-to-catch fly ball, the term originating from a general store clerk reaching up and dropping a can from a high shelf. Sportswriters dubbed Joe DiMaggio the “Yankee Clipper” because he glided about the outfield with beauty and grace, like a clipper ship on the ocean. The lyrics to “Take Me Out to the Ball Game” were written in 1908 by vaudeville star Jack Norworth, who, while riding the subway, was inspired by a sign that said “Baseball Today—Polo Grounds.” And the great Ty Cobb stole home a whopping fifty-four times—fifty more than the career leader in total stolen bases, Rickey Henderson. Packed with all manner of delightful surprises, beautiful illustrations and photographs, and delicious nuggets of information, Baseball Miscellany demystifies the origins and customs of America’s most celebrated game. From spring training through the World Series, you’ll be entertained with fun, little-known facts. Why do baseball players wear stirrup socks? Who invented the catcher’s mask? What major-league team passed up on signing eighteen-year-old Willie Mays in 1949?
Inundated with offers, Gretzky's agent Gus Badali added Michael Barnett to Number ... took time to visit the set of the popular television show M*A*S*H, ...
... Roger Neilson formany years,”Olczyknow remembers, “and as soon asI stepped into the room he bluntly toldme that the trade had been Neil Smith'sdeal.
Before the deal could be completed , however , the player's union voiced its ... Todd Walker left as a free agent and was replaced by Mark Bellhorn ...
TODD BERTUZZI DISGRACES HOCKEY All-Star right-winger Todd Bertuzzi of the Vancouver Canucks lost ... The case generated a great deal of media attention.
Subsequently, Savard and the team issued a standard “we will deal with this ... Describing the trade, Todd colorfully termed the blunder as “a full-scale ...
Nineteen-year-old captain Al Fortin, who had been playing for Notre Dame for four years, blocked a field goal attempt to preserve the standoff.
The special plays section, featuring many of the book's 450-plus Xs and Os diagrams, will be especially popular among coaches seeking the out-of-bounds and last-second plays that work when the game is on the line.
There was a three-way tie at 85 with Mclaughlin, Kenneth Monteagle of San Francisco, and R. Walker Salisbury of Salt lake city, a four-time Utah amateur champion. an 18-hole playoff was required after the match play was finished. after ...
... Franklin D., 18, 43,147,157 Roper, Jim, 289, 292, 293 Rose, Mauri, 184,204, 207 Rubirosa, Porfirio, 348 Rum, 55, 56 Russell, D.C. “Fat,” 200, 204, 205, 224, 277m Ruth, Babe, 7, 359 Salisbury, North Carolina, 107, 109 Samples, Eddie, ...
The 2010 winner was 28-year-old Brendan Hall and his crew in Spirit of Australia.