Baseball Photo Trivia

[fan_since79]

The man holding the bat was a decent hitter in his time.

A very decent hitter.

 

[makepeac]

Looks like Ty Cobb but he's gripping the bat lefty so is it Shoeless Joe? Though Joe didn't choke up either. And since he was banned likely wouldn't be in the Braves clubhouse.

[fan_since79]

Well, Cobb was also a lefty.

[makepeac]

Overthunk that one good. Duh. 

25 minutes ago, fan_since79 said:

Well, Cobb was also a lefty.

 

[fan_since79]

I love the expression on Aaron's face. A mixture of shock and awe.

 

Edited May 5, 2017 by fan_since79

[fan_since79]

On this date 102 years ago, Babe Ruth hit his first major league home run and also pitched 12.1 innings in a 4-3 loss to the Yankees at the Polo Grounds.

http://www.baseball-reference.com/boxes/NYA/NYA191505060.shtml

http://baseballhall.org/discover/inside-pitch/babe-ruth-clubs-first-major-league-homer

 

Edited May 6, 2017 by fan_since79

[fan_since79]

I missed Willie Mays' 86th birthday yesterday.

(He's really that old?! Now I'm feeling my age.)

Mays is the only player in baseball history to hit four home runs in a game and also three triples in another game.

[fan_since79]

Who are these two men? The photo is from 2006 when they were inducted into their team's Hall of Fame.

The man in the wheelchair had his career profoundly changed exactly 60 years ago today by an unlucky line drive.

(The wheelchair has nothing to do with that injury, however.)

[Angel Oracle]

Drawing blanks on the guy standing, but Herb Score is the one in the wheelchair.

Rocky Colavito the other guy? 

[fan_since79]

29 minutes ago, Angel Oracle said:

Drawing blanks on the guy standing, but Herb Score is the one in the wheelchair.

Rocky Colavito the other guy? 

You got both of them, AO.

Herb Score was never the same pitcher after that injury, but he claimed the line drive to his eye had nothing to do with it. He hurt his arm in the 1958 season when he came back to the Indians, and he said that was the cause of his struggles.

pre-injury: 38-20, 2.63 ERA, 155 ERA+

post-injury: 17-26, 4.43 ERA, 86 ERA+

 

 

[fan_since79]

Ironically, Rocky Colavito is now the man in the wheelchair. He had his right leg amputated in 2015 as a result of diabetes.

Herb Score died in 2008 after a series of strokes.

Colavito and Score were good friends and roommates in the minors as well as the majors. The Colavito trade to Detroit in 1960 was one of the most shocking transactions in Indians' history and the negative reaction among the Cleveland fans was enormous.

There's a book called The Curse of Rocky Colavito which details the 33 years following the trade where the Indians finished no better than 11 games out of first place. In more recent years (since 1995), they have lost three World Series and numerous other playoff series.

[Angel Oracle]

Bump, had gotten to page 2.

[fan_since79]

This man was a relief pitcher for the Cardinals in 1967 when Bob Gibson went down with a broken leg in mid-July. He was placed in the starting rotation and won nine straight decisions as St. Louis cruised to the NL pennant. He also won a World Series game, and the following year was a 19-game winner for the Cards.

[yk9001]

You got a thing for the cardinals, huh?

[fan_since79]

22 minutes ago, yk9001 said:

You got a thing for the cardinals, huh?

You have to admit they had some pretty cool uniforms.

 

 

[fan_since79]

Same pitcher, traded to the Pirates before the 1971 season. Same story, started in the bullpen then moved in September to the starting rotation, went 3-1 down the stretch, then pitched a 2-hit shutout in Game 5 of the World Series against the Orioles.

 

[Angel Oracle]

I was going to guess Nelson Briles, even before the 2nd hint.

[fan_since79]

3 minutes ago, Angel Oracle said:

I was going to guess Nelson Briles, even before the 2nd hint.

I had a feeling you would get it.

That '71 series was classic.

[Homebrewer]

On 4/26/2017 at 1:50 PM, fan_since79 said:

 

Ty Cobb, making his minor league debut on this date in 1904, with the Augusta Tourists of the South Atlantic League.

 

The following excerpt is from the recent book "Ty Cobb: A Terrible Beauty". It's just too good a piece not to reprint here.

 

Did you read the book? I read it over the winter and it was excellent. Couldn't recommend it more highly to anyone that hasn't....decades of research went into writing it, and people will come away with an entirely different picture of Cobb, than the one they have now.

[fan_since79]

1 hour ago, Homebrewer said:

Did you read the book? I read it over the winter and it was excellent. Couldn't recommend it more highly to anyone that hasn't....decades of research went into writing it, and people will come away with an entirely different picture of Cobb, than the one they have now.

I started it recently.

I did not know that Cobb's mother shot his father to death shortly before Ty's major league debut and was acquitted later at trial.

Lots of fascinating details in this book.

 

Edited May 24, 2017 by fan_since79

[yk9001]

3 hours ago, fan_since79 said:

You have to admit they had some pretty cool uniforms.

 

 

They did.  The 1960s baseball uniforms were the best sports unis ever.

The late 60s/early 70s NFL unis were just about as good.

[Angel Oracle]

In general, 1960s baseball unis were cool.  Four teams (Pirates, A'th, Reds, and Indians) wore the sleeveless tops.

Cobb's mom thought his dad was an intruder, when she accidentally killed him.   His dad was sneaking into the house, supposedly to see if his wife was cheating on him? 

 

[Homebrewer]

2 hours ago, fan_since79 said:

I started it recently.

I did not know that Cobb's mother shot his father to death shortly before Ty's major league debut and was acquitted later at trial.

Lots of fascinating details in this book.

 

The first of many eye openers...more to come. Enjoy the book, it's a must read for anyone interested in Tyrus and baseball history in general.  

[Stradling]

17 hours ago, yk9001 said:

They did.  The 1960s baseball uniforms were the best sports unis ever.

The late 60s/early 70s NFL unis were just about as good.

The XFL would like to have a word with you.  

[fan_since79]

May 25, 1935.

Babe Ruth had his last, and also had a first.