Whitey Herzog called Jack Clark “the greatest fastball hitter of our era.” He became a born-again Christian in 1977 and was part of the notorious “God Squad” of the Giants. Here is an excerpt about Clark with the Cardinals from my book, The God Squad: The Born-Again San Francisco Giants of 1978. Before joining the Cardinals…
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Former major league Mike Ivie passed away on July 21, 2023, in North Augusta, South Carolina, at age 70. A born-again Christian, Ivie was part of the notorious God Squad of the San Francisco Giants during the late 1970s. Here is an excerpt from my book, The God Squad: The Born-Again San Francisco Giants of 1978.…
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Johnnie LeMaster was part of the notorious “God Squad” of the SF Giants in the late 1970s and early 1980s. Here is an excerpt about LeMaster from my book, The God Squad: The Born-Again San Francisco Giants of 1978. The boos began in 1978 for Johnnie LeMaster, a born-again Christian, who played in the Major Leagues…
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Life took Newhan where he needed to be, but some associated with the game found that to be an unacceptable place. Maybe it wasn’t quite Lou Gehrig replacing Wally Pipp, but when David Newhan got to play for the Baltimore Orioles in the summer of 2004, he made the most of it. The left-handed swinging…
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Let’s play the game like it’s 1864. It’s a beautiful day for base ball. No, that’s not a typo. That’s how the game was spelled until around 1902-03, according to Matt “Brandywine” Stone, founder and director of Central Valley Vintage Base Ball, which has four teams, including the Aetna Base Ball Club of Dixon, California.…
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Catcher Moe Berg played 15 seasons for five teams in the 1920s and 1930s, with a cumulative batting average of .243. Berg isn’t in baseball’s Hall of Fame, but he is ensconsed in the annals of American history. Here’s why. Moe Berg was fluent in ten languages, graduated from Princeton University, and got a law…
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Then and now, Jewish baseball players have contributed significantly to the game. In a scene from the 1980 movie Airplane!” the stewardess approaches an elderly lady passenger and asks, “Would you like something to read?” “Do you have anything light?” the lady asks in return. “How about this leaflet? ‘Famous Jewish sports legends,’” the stewardess replies. Of course, Airplane is…
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In my previous column on this topic, I wrote about MLB pitchers who would have welcomed the designated hitter. Here, I identify pitchers (both living and passed on) who likely would have wanted to sustain their presence in the batting order. Babe Ruth: With the Boston Red Sox from 1915-1918, Babe won 78 games as…
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Vallejo resident Matthew Ceryes was a security guard at Pac Bell Park (which became SBC Park in 2004) from 2003-2005. He had a bird’s-eye view of the inside goings-on of the Giants, including those of Barry Bonds. In his own words, Ceryes relates a couple of incidents that show the good and the bad of the controversial…
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In 1970, nine members of the Syracuse football team, erroneously remembered as the “Syracuse 8,” took a stand for racial equality. When their demands were denied, they boycotted their team’s season. They sacrificed their athletic careers, and it took the university over three decades to formally apologize. Despite what happened, the sacrifices of Gregory Allen, Richard…
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Depending on your spiritual bent, you may have been either thrilled or turned off by University of Connecticut women’s basketball star Paige Bueckers talking about her Christian faith in post-game interviews on her way to the semi-finals of the NCAA tournament. “I’m a living testimony. I give all glory to God, “she told ESPN. “He…
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In December 2020, MLB Commissioner Rob Manfred bestowed Major League status upon seven professional Negro Leagues that operated between 1920 and 1948. The decision means that the approximately 3,400 players of the Negro Leagues during that period are officially considered Major Leaguers, with their stats and records becoming a part of Major League history. NOTE: This…
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The ugly virus of hate is something that our country has yet to eradicate. So, it’s always good to hear positive examples of people stepping up to the plate in sports to counter racism. In 1934, Tony King was the captain of his American Legion Post 21 baseball team from Springfield, Mass., when the team…
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Vizquel didn’t make it during the most recent Hall of Fame voting (January 2025). I’ll keep writing, “He deserves to be in the Hall,” until he is. Here’s what I wrote in 2021. On January 26, 2021, the Baseball Writers of America Association will announce the results of its 2021 Hall of Fame voting live…
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Leo Durocher is credited with the now-famous phrase, “Nice guys finish last.” Was he right? Here’s my take. Leo “The Lip” made that remark when managing the Brooklyn Dodgers in 1946 before a game against the New York Giants at the Polo Grounds. During batting practice, he talked to reporters about Eddie Stanky, Durocher’s pesky…
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On August 27, 1982, the Oakland A’s Rickey Henderson set a new single-season record by stealing his 119th base against the Brewers in Milwaukee. After four pickoff throws, Henderson stole second — on a pitchout. He stole three more bags that day, including one from third base. Henderson finished the season with 130 thefts, an…
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There have been some great-hitting Major League pitchers, like Babe Ruth. It’s a good bet that the Babe would have hated the DH rule when he was still just a pitcher. On the other hand, there have always been the automatic-out kind of pitchers who spurred people like Connie Mack as far back as 1906…
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I couldn’t believe my eyes. As a 10-year-old with my dad at the Polo Grounds in New York in 1963, I watched the Pittsburgh Pirates warm up before taking on the Mets in a weekend afternoon contest. Roberto Clemente was shagging flies in right field. He caught a ball on the warning track and unleashed…
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When Jim Bouton passed away at age 80 from a brain disease linked to dementia, I was prompted to reread Ball Four, the iconic diary of the pitcher’s 1969 season with the Seattle Pilots and the Houston Astros. If you are of the same generation as modern-day major leaguers, you may have never heard of Bouton…
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Excerpt from Matt Sieger’s book, The God Squad: The Born-Again San Francisco Giants of 1978 San Francisco Chronicle sportswriter Lowell Cohn did not write many columns about the God Squadders, the born-again Christians on the Giants. He was a columnist, not a beat writer, so he wasn’t in the Giants’ clubhouse every game. Besides, he had to also…
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In the summer of 1974, between my junior and senior years at Cornell University, I freelanced for the Ithaca New Times, a weekly newspaper in Ithaca, NY. My editor suggested I write a feature story about the Oneonta Yankees, a New York Yankees farm team in the New York-Penn League. The NY-P, founded in 1939 as…
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Wrigley Field, the cherished home of the Chicago Cubs, stands as a historical landmark in the world of baseball. However, it wasn’t until August 8, 1988, that this iconic stadium hosted its first game under the lights. This shift to night games occurred more than 50 years after the first Major League Baseball (MLB) night game, which took…
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Ted Williams: A Baseball Legend When talking about the greatest baseball players of all time, Ted Williams’ name will always be at the top of the list. Born on When talking about the greatest baseball players of all time, Ted Williams‘ name will always be at the top of the list. Born on August 30, 1918,…
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Baseball’s single-season home run record is a captivating feat that has been the focus of fans and players alike throughout the history of the sport. From the early days of the game to the present, this record has been a testament to the power, skill, and determination of the players who have pursued it. This…
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The 2021 NFL season recap is now available on RetroSeasons. Congrats to Matt Stafford and the Los Angeles Rams for winning Super Bowl LVI, on their home field at SoFi Stadium no less! The 2021 NFL season was full of ups and downs, including the passing of Hall of Fame Coach and Broadcaster John Madden.…
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At the beginning of the 1970s the struggling second incarnation of the Washington Senators announced their intentions to move to the Metroplex under the banner of the Texas Rangers. The stadium was expanded to seat over 35,700 people, and was renamed Arlington Stadium. It was the fifth former minor league park converted for use by a major-league team…
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Larry Bird was drafted by the Boston Celtics with the sixth overall pick in the 1978 NBA draft. He did not sign with the Celtics immediately; instead, he played out his final season at Indiana State and led the Sycamores to the NCAA title game. Celtics General Manager Red Auerbach publicly stated that he would not pay Bird more than…
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We’ve been building RetroSeasons for several years, searching and sorting through endless old sports books, magazines, guides, and websites in order to accurately depict the season by season history of professional baseball, football, basketball, and hockey. Coverage includes the NBA, NFL, MLB, and NHL, as well as vintage media from defunct teams and leagues. There…
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In their third season, the 1934 Boston Redskins, coached by Lone Star Dietz shown in the team photo holding the dog above. The team missed the playoffs after finishing the NFL regular season in 2nd place in the NFL Eastern Division with a 6-6 record. The Redskins played their home games at Fenway Park
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The 1934 Pittsburgh Pirates (now the Steelers) posed for their team photo with coach Luby DiMeolo. The team finished in last place in the NFL Eastern Division with a 2-10 record. The 2016 and 2017 Pittsburgh Steelers wore the “bumble bee” throwback uniforms of the early 1930s Pittsburgh football teams
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The NFL Boston Redskins and Pittsburgh Pirates (now the Pittsburgh Steelers) met twice in 1934, the Redskins shutting out Pittsburgh in both games. The Redskins, now in Washington, were founded in Boston in 1932 before moving to Washington in 1937 where they won their first championship. As noted on the cover of the game programs…
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Jim Brown, widely regarded as the greatest running back in the history of American football, had a career that was nothing short of extraordinary. His exceptional athletic prowess, coupled with his unyielding determination and strategic acumen, made him an unstoppable force on the football field. Born on February 17, 1936, in St. Simons, Georgia, Brown’s…
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Before its final incarnation of the late 1890s, the Western League existed in various forms. In a meeting in Detroit, Michigan, on November 20, 1893, the Western League reorganized. From this point forward, this version of the WL has continued in existence, eventually becoming the modern-day American League. In 1894, Ban Johnson was hired as president of the new…
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As the NFL migrated towards forward-pass oriented offenses in the 1930s and 1940s, Benny Friedman, Sid Luckman, and Sammy Baugh defined the new role of the passing quarterback. Benny Friedman Benny Friedman played college football as a halfback and quarterback for the University of Michigan Wolverines from 1924 to 1926. Friedman played in the backfield on both offense and defense, handled kicking and return duties, and was known for his passing game. He…
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After resigning from the Packers, Coach Curly Lambeau filled the open head coach position of the Chicago Cardinals. In addition to the position of head coach, Lambeau also was named vice president and was given complete control of personnel choices. The 1950 season was Lambeau’s first in Chicago. The team ended the season 5–7, failing to improve upon its…
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In the 1917 congressional baseball game at National Park, President Woodrow Wilson had to throw the opening pitch twice as Washington Senators Owner, Clark Griffith was unable to catch it. The Congressional Baseball Game for Charity is an annual baseball game played each summer by members of the United States Congress. The game began as a casual event among colleagues in 1909 and eventually evolved into…
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The upstart American Association saw a significant opportunity when it invited the New York Metropolitan baseball team to join the new league for its 1882 inaugural season. The National League had expelled the Mutual Club of New York following the 1876 season for failing to make their final road trip of the year. By 1881 had still not replaced them…
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Manager Casey Stengel had invested in oil properties, as advised by one of his players, Randy Moore, a Texan; the investment helped make the Stengels well-to-do, and they put the profits in California real estate. Stengel considered going in the oil business full-time, but Boston Braves president Bob Quinn offered him the Boston managerial job in 1938, and…
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Joe Martina, known as “Oyster Joe”, was a right-handed pitcher and a native and lifelong resident of New Orleans, Louisiana. He spent 22 seasons in baseball, but only one year—1924—in the Major Leagues as a member of the world champion Washington Senators. Oyster Joe Martina began his career at age 20 in 1910 and by the time he hung up his spikes in…
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On June 9, 1914, at age 40, Honus Wagner recorded his 3000th hit, a double off Philadelphia’s Erskine Mayer in the Baker Bowl. Wagner was the second player in baseball history to reach the figure, after Cap Anson, and Nap Lajoie joined them three months later. This accomplishment, however, came during a down period for Wagner and Pirates. Wagner hit only…
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Johnny Unitas was traded from the Baltimore Colts to the San Diego Chargers on January 20, 1973, in a transaction that originally had future considerations returning to Baltimore. The deal’s only obstacle was the personal services contract he had signed with the Colts in 1970 which would’ve kept him employed within the organization on an annual salary…
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The Sheboygan Redskins have again accepted the invitation to enter the World’s Championship Professional Basketball Tournament (WPBT) at the International Amphitheater, Chicago, from March 15 to 19. Eleven teams have entered the tournament so far. They are the Sheboygan Redskins, the Oshkosh All-Stars, the Detroit Eagles, and the Chicago Bruins of the National Basketball League,…
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New York Yankees right fielder Babe Ruth was knocked unconscious after he ran into a concrete wall at Griffith Stadium, Washington, D.C.. while trying to catch a foul ball on July 5, 1924. As he laid unconscious on the field, the Yankees’ trainer, Doc Woods, rushed to him with a first-aid kit and poured icy…
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The new site for Polo Grounds III was overlooked to the north and west by a steep promontory known as Coogan’s Bluff. Because of its elevation, fans frequently watched games from the Bluff without buying tickets. The ballpark itself was in bottomland known as Coogan’s Hollow. Known as Brotherhood Park when it opened in 1890,…
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Jack Calvo, Germany Schaefer, and Merito Acosta of the 1913 Washington Senators
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After the Los Angeles Dodgers acquired Fernando Valenzuela in the summer of 1979, the Dodgers pitcher Bobby Castillo taught him to throw the screwball. During the 1980 season, Valenzuela was promoted to the Double-A level where he led the Texas League with 162 strikeouts. Valenzuela was called up to the Los Angeles Dodgers bullpen in September 1980. In the last month…
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These discovered photo cards are recognized as some of the first baseball cards, issued in 1866 for the Union Base Ball Club of Lansingburgh. The team was established in 1860 in Lansingburgh, New York. By 1868 the “Troy Haymakers” nickname for Union of Lansingburgh was common, although the team was sometimes called the Trojans. Members of the…
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“Base Ball as Viewed by a Muffin”: Early baseball illustrations In 1860s baseball parlance, a “muffin”—from the verb “muff,” to mishandle a ball—was an incapable or inexperienced player. Clubs of the era often had second or muffin nines, who played one another in games that might take deliberate liberty with the rules and etiquette typical of…
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Chicago Bears versus La Crosse Old Style Lagers NFL pre-season game program from September 12, 1934. Features 15 signatures including: Bronko Nagurski, Beattie Feathers, Link Lyman, Paul Franklin, Zuck Carlson, Art Buss, Dick Davis, Vincent Zizack, Gene Ronzani, Jack Manders, Bill Hewitt, Joe Kopcha, George Nusso, Ray Richards and Art Krueger. The 1934 NFL season began with success, as the Bears reeled off nine straight wins in which they scored 20…
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When George Herman Ruth Jr. turned 7 years old, he began attending St. Mary’s Industrial School for Boys. St. Mary’s was an institution run by Catholic monks to provide a strict and regimented environment for students. One of the monks at St. Mary’s, took an instant liking to George and became a positive role model…
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Roberto Clemente debuted with the Pirates on April 17, 1955, wearing uniform number 13, in the first game of a doubleheader against the Brooklyn Dodgers. At the beginning of his time with the Pirates, he experienced frustration because of racial tension with the local media and some teammates. Clemente responded to this by stating, “I don’t…
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Satchel Paige, after 21 years in the negro leagues, became oldest major league rookie while playing for the Cleveland Indians in 1948 at age 42. He played with the St. Louis Browns until age 47, and represented them in the All-Star Game in 1952 and 1953. In 1950, Satchel Paige signed with the Philadelphia Stars…
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Ty Cobb of the Detroit Tigers with Judge Kenesaw Mountain Landis, the new commissioner of baseball, at Comiskey Park in on March 12, 1920