I’ll be up front with you. I’m on vacation in one of my favorite cities in the world (San Francisco!), so this post may be brief, but the video that follows is excellent and hand-picked by yours truly for your utmost enjoyment. It features the clip from 1976 at Dodger Stadium, as well as interviews with Rick Monday and Tommy Lasorda reflecting on an unbelievable moment in baseball history that has forever tarnished (or polished, for that matter) the reputation and memory of one Major League Baseball player, Rick Monday:

On April 25 1976, not-so-coincidentally the Nation’s bicentennial anniversary, the Chicago Cubs played the Los Angeles Dodgers at Dodger Stadium. One man and his 11-year-old son crashed the field and proceeded to kneel down in the outfield. The pair laid out an American flag onto the grass, poured lighter fluid atop it, and then began attempts to light the flag with matches.

But their plans for the flag’s ill were foiled when, suddenly, Cubs center fielder Rick Monday sprinted at the two figures and, swooping like a patriotic pelican over the San Francisco Bay, rescued the flag from a certain fiery doom.

Will anyone ever remember Rick Monday’s All Star Game appearances (1968, 1978)? Will anyone fondly recall his league-leading double plays as an outfielder (1967, 1974)? Monday’s career falls to the wayside of one somehow seemingly heroic act. And when Trivia Night rolls around at your local bar, Rick Monday will forever be remembered as the ballplayer who saved the flag.

Do you have a favorite baseball tradition? Is there a particular ghost of baseball past you would like to revisit? Ever wonder why they do what they do, and when they started doing it? If you have a suggestion, question, or submission for Throwback Thursday, contact Elise by tweeting @Elise_Myers.

Trivia time, baseball fans! What extant (still in existence, surviving) major league baseball team was once called all of the following names:

…the Bridegrooms (1890-1898)

…the Robins (1914-1931)

…the Superbas (1899-1910)

Wait just a minute, what is a superba? isn’t that the movie with Michael Cera and Jonah Hill? Or, is it the song by Nicki Minaj?

Well, for one, it is, or was, a baseball team, that was once named the Trolley Dodgers (1884-1889) and then simply, the Dodgers (“Brooklyn Dodgers,” 1911-1913) (“Brooklyn Dodgers,” 1932-1957) (“Los Angeles Dodgers,” 1958-current).

But, what on earth is a Superba? And why was there a professional baseball team named after such a thing?

I have no idea… It’s time to do some detective work.

To Google!

According to the American Begonia Society, a Superba is a hybrid cross of begonia that can be identified by large lobed leaves.

Okay, so I’m studying botany, but I don’t think that’s a particularly common career path for many baseball fans… and an even less likely name for a group of professional athletes… Next!

According to Yahoo Answers, the best definition of a Super Bass is: “a Really Big Fish.” I mean… yeah? I guess that sounds more like something to name a sports team after, (here’s looking at you, Marlins) albeit a joke… So, moving on. Next!

» Continue reading “Throwback Thursday: They Got That Superbas”

So there was this guy once, and he pitched so well they named an award after him.

I decided that I wanted to take on the Cy Young candidates for this year because my hat is currently in the ring, so to speak. Although I’m the Orioles writer here, I’m also a noted long-suffering Mets fan, and I’ve got a candidate to back this time around!

That being said, it’s time to get this show on the road, so here are your three candidates for National League Cy Young Award.

R.A. Dickey, New York Mets: I’m not even going to lie about my bias here, because I’d absolutely love to see a knuckleballer — from a team I watch, nonetheless — take home the Cy Young. A knuckleballer has never won the coveted pitching prize, but perhaps this is the year.

Let’s talk about Dickey’s year for a minute here. He went 20-6 with the Mets. THE METS. That’s practically impossible in this day and age. He started 33 games and turned five of them into complete game performances, with three of those being complete game shutouts. In the 233.2 innings he pitched, he struck out 230 people whilst only walking 53 people, less than his two non-knuckleballer rivals. For a knuckleballer, a 2.73 ERA and a 1.05 WHIP are nothing to dismiss, either. The man was simply on fire this season.

That’s not to say that the other two weren’t on fire at all. It’s just really unusual to see a knuckleballer with such glowing stats.

» Continue reading “Some Guy Named Cy: National League Candidates”

Thanks to social media – more specifically Twitter – I have become acquainted with hundreds of new people in the past four years.

Most of those people have one main thing in common with me: they are fans of baseball. Some are fans who have loved it since they were children and others are considered newbies to the sport.

So if are you one of those newcomers to baseball fandom, don’t worry. You’re not alone.

***

I’m part of the old guard of baseball fandom.

I’ve watched baseball since I was a little girl – back when I had no idea what I was seeing on the television screen – and in my admittedly myopic view of the world, I figured all baseball fans were like just like me, lifelong fans. It didn’t even occur to me that people could wait until their teens or in some cases adulthood to start watching the game.

I mistakenly thought the love of baseball was something engrained in you during your formative years. I was wrong.

» Continue reading “Welcome to Baseball Fandom, Newbies.”

San Francisco Giants

It looks like the Giants are the only NL West team heading for the playoffs. (Unless a miracle occurs in L.A.) So for now, they’re just gearing up for the postseason, getting their pitching in order and preparing for what they hope will be a long run into October.

The big story for the Giants are the contributions of both Hunter Pence and Marco Scutaro who were both acquired via trades in July. Scutaro has collected 41 RBI in 56 games while hitting an astonishing .361 as a Giant. And while Pence may not have Scutaro’s lofty average he has 39 RBI in 53 games with the Giants.

Both players have been a big part of the Giants run toward the postseason and have helped to alleviate the absence of Melky Cabrera.

» Continue reading “NL West Recap: Giants In. Everyone Else (Most Likely) Out.”

NL West Standings 8-31-12 – Courtesy of MLB.com

Can you believe it? We have reached the last day of August. It seems like Opening Day was just yesterday and here we are at the time when things will begin to get very interesting in the MLB Division races.

The next 34 days – today included – are bound to be agonizing for some, exciting for others and a mixture of both for everyone else. So let’s get to it, shall we?

San Francisco Giants

Well, look who is in first place in the Division. Since we last visited the NL West, there’s been a big change in the standings. The Giants, who were a half game back two weeks ago, now find themselves up four and half games on the Los Angeles Dodgers.

The Giants are 8-2 in their last 10 and are hoping to pull away from the Dodgers as the dog days of summer turn into the cooler days of Autumn. They just swept a three-game series against the lowly Houston Astros with Santiago Casilla, George Kontos and Ryan Vogelsong all earning victories. They traveling to Chicago to play another three-game set against the Cubs this weekend.

For more on the Giants, please visit Third Street Kings

» Continue reading “NL West Recap: One Giant(s) Step Into First Place”

Standings via MLB.com

Los Angeles Dodgers

The Dodgers have managed to reclaim the top spot in the division after going back and forth from sharing 1st place to 2nd place. They haven’t lost steam since the All-Star Break ended and they’re 6-4 in their last 10 games. Sweeping the Giants also helped in their pursuit to regain 1st place.

In the past few weeks, the Dodgers acquired Hanley Ramirez from the Miami Marlins before the trade deadline and Joe Blanton from the Philadelphia Phillies on the waiver wire. Ramirez has been hitting .308/.382/.436 with an OPS of .818, OPS+ of 126, BABIP of .348, and an ISO of .128 in 20 games and 89 plate appearances.

To state the obvious, it’s safe to say that the Dodgers are doing all they can to find ways to strengthen their team for a playoff push and it shows.

For more on the Dodgers, visit Foul Territory. » Continue reading “NL West Recap: Back To The Top For LA”

Standings via MLB.com

San Francisco Giants

After losing their place at the top of the standings, they’re back at the top of the standings. They swept the Astros and took two of three from the Braves for a 5-1 post-All-Star Break record. Their way of winning has been … very odd, to say the least, winning games that seem unwinnable, but they won.

There’s also been some positives with the club lately: Tim Lincecum churned out his best start of the season, going eight innings, giving up five hits, zero runs, and one walk, while striking out 11. It may not be a solidified comeback, but it’s encouraging for the Giants nonetheless.

For more on the Giants, visit Third Street Kings. » Continue reading “NL West Recap: There’s A New Leader ‘Round Here”

Standings via MLB.com

Los Angeles Dodgers

Though the Dodgers are still in first place today, that wasn’t always the case for the past two weeks. They were swept in San Francisco — and also shut out for every game in the series — and then lost possession of the top spot in the standings. But, they managed to get a win streak up to three games and reclaim first place while the Giants couldn’t hold on.

Matt Kemp is still on the disabled list, and Andre Ethier was just recently placed there too. But they keep finding ways to win when they need to, despite a You Can’t Predict Baseball-ish lineup being thrown out there every some odd night.

For more on the Dodgers, visit Foul Territory. » Continue reading “NL West Recap: It’s Getting Interesting Now”

Standings via MLB.com

Los Angeles Dodgers

The Dodgers are still in first place, so that means whatever they’re doing is going right. They also have the best record in baseball at 37-21.

However, they have been plagued with injuries. Clayton Kershaw has been dealing with plantar fasciitis, Javy Guerra has a small meniscus tear and will be out for four to six weeks, Matt Kemp was placed back on the DL with a strained left hamstring and is expected to be back in late June or early July.

They have been trotting out You Can’t Predict Baseball-esque lineups every day, yet they still manage to win. They also have not regressed much, so who knows what they’re going to do next? They also just swept the Phillies, so there’s that.

For more on the Dodgers, visit Foul Territory. » Continue reading “NL West Recap: Same Ol’, Same Ol’”