Monthly Archives: November 2008

WHGB 2008 Annual

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Download the WHGB 2008 Annual (pdf)

It seems much longer than one month ago since the Philadelphia Phillies won the World Series.  After the 2,430 game regular season (2,431 in the end this year) and the drama of the postseason, MLB comes to an abrupt halt and an established part of your daily routine (checking the scores, maybe watching a game) disappears. 

It’s a bit of a shock to the system, but in some ways it is a necessary process.   An MLB season is packed full with action and incidents, heroes and villains, astonishing feats and costly errors, and you need a period to sit back and reflect on what has happened. 

To help you do just that, we are publishing today the ‘Weekly Hit Ground Ball 2008 Annual’.  WHGB is a feature column published every Sunday during the regular season here at BaseballGB. The twenty-six columns from the 2008 regular season have been brought together in a pdf alongside an overview of the first two rounds of the postseason and a series of articles about the World Series.  Continue reading →

The Hot Stove

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One of the baseball terms British newcomers quickly learn during the off-season is ‘the hot stove’.  This is the collective term used for all of the trade/free agent signing rumours that fill the winter months.  I always thought this was simply a reference to potential deals that might be bubbling along on the ‘stove’.  In fact, Paul Dickson explains in his seminal baseball dictionary (the third edition of which is due to be published next year) that the term was coined for a more literal reason.  Baseball fans would come in from the cold and gather in places such as “saloons, poolrooms, general stores, barbershops, and drugstores where there was a coal- or wood-burning, potbellied stove at the centre of the conservational group”.

That makes for a great image of baseball fans huddled together merrily (and sometimes not so merrily) swapping rumours and sharing opinions. If my original interpretation was followed though, it could be said that the hot stove is gently simmering at the moment.  Continue reading →

You Are the Scorer: Number 4

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YouAreScorer


Scenario: The batter hits a fly-ball to a gap in the outfield and rounds first base, slides into second, touches the bag, but then overslides and is put out before making contact again. 

As the official scorer, with what should you credit the batter?

A – An at-bat but no hit.
B – A single.
C – A double.

Highlight the text below to reveal the answer:

Answer: B – A single.

Rule 10.06(c) states:
… When the batter attempts to make a two-base hit or a three-base hit by sliding, he must hold the last base to which he advances. If a batter-runner overslides and is tagged out before getting back to the base safely, he shall be credited with only as many bases as he attained safely …

Rob Neyer’s Big Book of Baseball Legends by Rob Neyer

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Rob Neyer’s Big Book of Baseball Legends by Rob Neyer, (Fireside, 2008), 331 pages.

It’s a measure of the poetic and characterful nature of the sport that baseball has been the inspiration for so many stories of amazing feats, tall tales and downright lies.  It’s a game that people love to write about and discuss, using vivid imagery and humour and drawing on a distinct lexicon of words and phrases to embellish, entertain and confuse in equal measure.  But how do you know which of the stories should be treated as gospel and which you should take with a pinch of salt?  The answer: it’s often hard to know but Rob Neyer proves it can be a lot of fun trying to find out.  Continue reading →

Q&A with Stephan Rapaglia

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GbStephan Rapaglia has been Head Coach of Great Britain since early 2004. He is a former professional pitcher in the Houston Astros’ minor league organization as well as in The Netherlands and Germany. He has also coached in the US, both for Division I Iona College and for the Johnstown Johnnies (of the independent professional Frontier League).

Thanks once again to Matt for his invaluable input into the questions and to Stephan for kindly taking the time to speak to BaseballGB.
Continue reading →

Baseball Mercury web archive launched

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The British baseball publication Baseball Mercury was edited by baseball historian William Morgan from 1972 until 1989. Fifty-one issues were produced in all, and the publication’s scope covers both domestic and international baseball, as well as softball.

Its coverage includes articles on baseball in Britian going back to the 19th Century (it is William Morgan’s records of National Champions that today’s official list is based on), and there are few more valuable resources for people carrying out research into the history of the game in Britain.

One project that has drawn extensively on the Baseball Mercury is the Great Britain National Team year-by-year history, available here.

William Morgan has kindly agreed to let Project Cobb make Baseball Mercury freely available on the internet. The archive can be found here. There are a handful of issues missing from the archive, but every effort will be made to obtain these and make them available as well. 

Free games to watch on MLB.com

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A blizzard of snow is hammering against my window, making staying in on a Saturday evening very appealing.  Meanwhile the TV listings suggest that being stuck outside in the freezing cold might not be such a bad idea after all (‘Strictly Come X-Factor Get Me Outta Here’ etc).  Thankfully, MLB.com offers British baseball fans a chance to stay in the warm whilst retaining the will to live.  Continue reading →

You Are the Scorer: Number 3

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YouAreScorer


Scenario: It is the top of the ninth inning in a tied game and, with the bases loaded, the #9 hitter just popped up to the shortstop for the second out. Although this was only the second out, the pitcher starts walking towards the dugout, and the rest of the fielding team as well as the batting side also start to leave the field, thinking that the top-half of the inning is complete.

As the official scorer, what should you do about the teams changing sides with only two outs?

A – Immediately notify the manager of the fielding side.
B – Immediately notify the manager of the batting side.
C – Notify the umpire-in-chief before the bottom of the ninth can begin.
D – Keep quiet.

Highlight the text below to reveal the answer:

Answer: C – Notify the umpire-in-chief before the bottom of the ninth can begin.

Rule 10.01(b)(2) states:
If the teams change sides before three men are put out, the official scorer shall immediately inform the umpire-in-chief of the mistake.

BGB Team Picker – 1st place Chicago Cubs

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Once the data had been collated and all the scores checked, there was one team that stood out by a mile.  The Cubbies already have a decent smattering of fans in Britain and if our Team Picker is a good indication, plenty more Brits will be bemoaning the Curse of the Billy Goat and hoping that next year will finally be the year of the ‘Loveable Losers’.  Continue reading →