Tiger337 Posted October 10 Posted October 10 2 hours ago, oblong said: There was a discussion on "Banana ball" in one of the threads. They announced they are coming to Comerica Park next year. Reading some things I learned that there's a lineage between that format and the Negro Leagues. Those guys would barnstorm the country and were very entertaining in their play. I hadn't put that together. The founder of the league said he took inspiration from that. It sort of puts it in a new light for me. Another example is the House of David team. 2 Quote
oblong Posted October 10 Posted October 10 I read this book a few years ago. WWII Navy Flight Training Program. This was a tough outfit that produced the best of the best, including guys who became astronauts and I think even a President. Ted Williams was one of them, along with some other well known players. Quote
lordstanley Posted October 10 Posted October 10 (edited) I think baseball barnstorming in general is interesting. Here's a story about the Tigers' 18-game tour of Japan after the 1962 season. https://sabr.org/journal/article/no-alibis-the-detroit-tigers-1962-tour-of-japan/ On the eve of the slate’s first game, the Tigers made their first public appearance, taking in a night of entertainment at the Nichigeki Theater in downtown Tokyo. The players and their wives enjoyed a two-hour show by the Nichigeki’s dancers before the boys donned happi coats and took the stage. Scheffing introduced his players to the crowd, and each was presented with a bouquet of flowers. The appearance concluded with the athletes tossing rubber balls into the crowd; those who caught select balls adorned with a Tigers logo would be admitted to the next day’s game free of charge.11 The next afternoon Jim Bunning took the Tokyo Stadium mound for the Tigers in front of 27,000 spectators, including Crown Prince Akihito and Princess Michiko. After the ceremonial first pitch was handled by Japanese Foreign Minister Ohira to US Ambassador Edwin O. Reischauer,12 the Tigers wasted no time providing their starter some run support. Detroit’s hitters roughed up Daimai Orions starter Tomoo Wako, who did not make it out of the first. The Tigers put up eight runs in the opening frame, including a three-run homer by Jake Wood, to cruise to a 12-1 victory. Bunning contributed 5⅓ perfect innings before giving up four hits and giving way to reliever Terry Fox.13 Neither the Tigers nor the Orions came away unscathed, however. In the sixth inning, Detroit first baseman Norm Cash was struck behind the ear by Daimai lefty Shoichi Ono’s errant pitch, necessitating a hospital visit for X-rays, which showed no lasting damage. “I hope to play tomorrow,” said Cash. And Kaline reaggravated his foot injury in the first inning, toughing it out until the sixth when he was replaced by Bobo Osborne ------ The Tigers players also kept busy during the rainy days, as pitcher Phil Regan gave a Bible reading at Kawasaki Baptist Church,20 while Bunning, Cash, Scheffing, Kaline, and **** McAuliffe, along with Hanshin Tigers pitcher (and Central League MVP) Minoru Murayama, appeared on the NHK-TV program My Secret ------ For the purposes of the record books, however, the tour was officially over two days earlier, after the tie game, meaning that Detroit’s 11 wins, four losses, and two ties earned them “the worst record ever for a major league club coming to Japan.”46 The Tigers – “the big flops this year in the American League”47 – couldn’t even catch a break at the turnstiles; Detroit’s “total attendance of 383,370 for 17 games in Japan didn’t measure up to the 16-game attendance of the San Francisco Giants’ [441,000] and St. Louis Cardinals’ [430,000] tours in 1960 and 1958 respectively,”48 though in all fairness it should be noted that the Tigers battled soggy weather just about every step of the way. ------------- Edited October 10 by lordstanley 1 Quote
guy incognito Posted October 12 Posted October 12 Impressive outing by Misiorowski for the Brewers tonight. 2-1 MIL in the fifth. Quote
IdahoBert Posted October 12 Posted October 12 Brewers win. I’m supposing “the media“ will try to make this as a David versus Goliath story but the Brewers have been pretty good so I think they stand a good chance of felling Goliath. 1 Quote
guy incognito Posted October 12 Posted October 12 The Brew Crew wins it. I hope they put up a decent showing vs. the Dodgers. Quote
papalawrence Posted October 12 Posted October 12 With Wheeler out, I believe the best 4 teams are in the final 4. Quote
IdahoBert Posted October 12 Posted October 12 On 10/10/2025 at 12:29 PM, lordstanley said: I think baseball barnstorming in general is interesting. Here's a story about the Tigers' 18-game tour of Japan after the 1962 season. https://sabr.org/journal/article/no-alibis-the-detroit-tigers-1962-tour-of-japan/ On the eve of the slate’s first game, the Tigers made their first public appearance, taking in a night of entertainment at the Nichigeki Theater in downtown Tokyo. The players and their wives enjoyed a two-hour show by the Nichigeki’s dancers before the boys donned happi coats and took the stage. Scheffing introduced his players to the crowd, and each was presented with a bouquet of flowers. The appearance concluded with the athletes tossing rubber balls into the crowd; those who caught select balls adorned with a Tigers logo would be admitted to the next day’s game free of charge.11 The next afternoon Jim Bunning took the Tokyo Stadium mound for the Tigers in front of 27,000 spectators, including Crown Prince Akihito and Princess Michiko. After the ceremonial first pitch was handled by Japanese Foreign Minister Ohira to US Ambassador Edwin O. Reischauer,12 the Tigers wasted no time providing their starter some run support. Detroit’s hitters roughed up Daimai Orions starter Tomoo Wako, who did not make it out of the first. The Tigers put up eight runs in the opening frame, including a three-run homer by Jake Wood, to cruise to a 12-1 victory. Bunning contributed 5⅓ perfect innings before giving up four hits and giving way to reliever Terry Fox.13 Neither the Tigers nor the Orions came away unscathed, however. In the sixth inning, Detroit first baseman Norm Cash was struck behind the ear by Daimai lefty Shoichi Ono’s errant pitch, necessitating a hospital visit for X-rays, which showed no lasting damage. “I hope to play tomorrow,” said Cash. And Kaline reaggravated his foot injury in the first inning, toughing it out until the sixth when he was replaced by Bobo Osborne ------ The Tigers players also kept busy during the rainy days, as pitcher Phil Regan gave a Bible reading at Kawasaki Baptist Church,20 while Bunning, Cash, Scheffing, Kaline, and **** McAuliffe, along with Hanshin Tigers pitcher (and Central League MVP) Minoru Murayama, appeared on the NHK-TV program My Secret ------ For the purposes of the record books, however, the tour was officially over two days earlier, after the tie game, meaning that Detroit’s 11 wins, four losses, and two ties earned them “the worst record ever for a major league club coming to Japan.”46 The Tigers – “the big flops this year in the American League”47 – couldn’t even catch a break at the turnstiles; Detroit’s “total attendance of 383,370 for 17 games in Japan didn’t measure up to the 16-game attendance of the San Francisco Giants’ [441,000] and St. Louis Cardinals’ [430,000] tours in 1960 and 1958 respectively,”48 though in all fairness it should be noted that the Tigers battled soggy weather just about every step of the way. ------------- I had absolutely no idea that this happened on a regular basis. Thank you so much for sharing this. @lordstanleyyou rock! Quote
lordstanley Posted October 12 Posted October 12 (edited) Bryan Woo activated by the Mariners for the ALCS. Bichette still out for the Jays. Bassitt and Scherzer included as pitchers for the ALCS after both having been left off the Jays' ALDS roster. Edited October 12 by lordstanley Quote
lordstanley Posted October 12 Posted October 12 (edited) At one point on Friday's broadcast, I heard a reference to Game 7 of the 1924 World Series. It was a rare postseason all-or-nothing game that went to extra innings. It's a game and series that doesn't quite get the attention it deserves. Here's a fun 13 minute video about it. The series was between the NY Giants and the Washington Senators. The Senators, a charter 1901 American League franchise, won their first ever pennant that season. The legendary Walter Johnson joined them in 2007, played his whole career for them, and finally in his 18th season at the age of 36 had a chance to play in the World Series. Unfortunately for those interested in storybook endings, it looked that Johnson had missed his moments, losing his two starts in Games 1 and 5. In Game 7, the Senators were trailing 3-1 in the 8th inning and Johnson was sitting on the bench. Rather than spoil it for those who don't already know what happened 101 years ago, I suggest you go to the 6:23 mark of the video and see how the deciding game played out. Enjoy actual game footage that was found in an attic in 2014. Edited October 12 by lordstanley 1 Quote
guy incognito Posted October 13 Posted October 13 Springer HRs to give Toronto the first lead in Game 1. Quote
lordstanley Posted October 13 Posted October 13 50 minutes ago, papalawrence said: Seattle wins game 1 I don't think Tiger pitching would have held the Jays to two hits after Friday night's game. I wonder if the Tigers would have risked having Paddack on the ALCS roster to use him as the Game 1 starter. Keider Montero and Melton both pitched Friday and they would have saved Mize for Game 2. Quote
oblong Posted October 13 Posted October 13 I can't believe Seattle won. That's huge for them. 1 Quote
4hzglory Posted October 13 Posted October 13 7 hours ago, lordstanley said: I don't think Tiger pitching would have held the Jays to two hits after Friday night's game. I wonder if the Tigers would have risked having Paddack on the ALCS roster to use him as the Game 1 starter. Keider Montero and Melton both pitched Friday and they would have saved Mize for Game 2. I think the potential of a game on Sunday was the reason Melton and Keizer only went 1 inning Friday. Quote
gehringer_2 Posted October 13 Posted October 13 2 hours ago, 4hzglory said: I think the potential of a game on Sunday was the reason Melton and Keizer only went 1 inning Friday. which is no way the way I would manage an elimination game. You get a guaranteed 4 more games if you win to sort things out, you have to put everything on the table to get there. If Hinch was actually managing Saturdays game with Sunday in view he's an idiot and got what he derserved, which is a longer golf vacation. Quote
4hzglory Posted October 13 Posted October 13 1 hour ago, gehringer_2 said: which is no way the way I would manage an elimination game. You get a guaranteed 4 more games if you win to sort things out, you have to put everything on the table to get there. If Hinch was actually managing Saturdays game with Sunday in view he's an idiot and got what he derserved, which is a longer golf vacation. I tend to agree with you. I just can't think of any other reason Melton specifically only went 1 inning. Quote
gehringer_2 Posted October 13 Posted October 13 (edited) 20 minutes ago, 4hzglory said: I tend to agree with you. I just can't think of any other reason Melton specifically only went 1 inning. I think there is a built in tension between long and short term trends such that no matter how data driven you try to be, there are inevitable contradictions that can't be resolved. Maybe Hinch doesn't like the match ups he get the next inning, but what if Melton is really on his game? That contradiction can't be resolved with any certainly. There is always going to be conflict between the longer term probabilities and what the game in front of you is telling you about why local conditions may be invalidating your history. As long as humans/weather/health are all variables in the equation, you are just stuck with that reality. I think the fan bias is pretty much always in the direction of "He's doing well, don't mess up a good thing", and if anything the analysts bias is just as strong toward "don't be fooled by what you see, this is what is most likely to happen." Either can be wrong. That tension will never be resolved. Kerry Carpenter is a poster child for this. Long term he has a lot of identifiable trends, but on some nights when he is hot he can and does hit everyone and everything (11 games with 3+ hits). That a nightmare for an opposing manager with analytics data. That fact is on some nights he is literally a different person. That's hard to account for an any model that assumes he's a constant entity. Edited October 13 by gehringer_2 Quote
Sports_Freak Posted October 13 Posted October 13 7 hours ago, oblong said: I can't believe Seattle won. That's huge for them. I would have lost that bet if I were a gambler. But...baseball... Quote
IdahoBert Posted October 13 Posted October 13 I totally forgot this Seattle Toronto game was on and I’m amazed the Mariners won the first game. A Seattle Milwaukee World Series would really be a way of rubbing it in the nose of the oligarchs who think only four or five franchisees are worth making it that far. Of course I piss and moan about this because my team is not one of the worthy and I’ll admit that when I see a World Series where something like the Rangers are playing Tampa Bay I’d find myself falling asleep at that prospect so I suppose I am as much a part of the problem is anyone else. But basically, if my own team isn’t in the mix, I could generally care less no matter what. Quote
papalawrence Posted October 13 Posted October 13 I am definitely rooting for Milwaukee and Seattle. That would ensure a franchise would have their first championship 2 Quote
oblong Posted October 13 Posted October 13 I forgot about this until mid, I’m watching the Wings/Leafs just now courtesy of Ken Daniels when he referred to the Mariners as the Expansion cousins to the Jays. Quote
lordstanley Posted October 13 Posted October 13 Mariners jump out to a 3-0 lead on a Julio Rodriguez homer before an out has been made in the game. Quote
oblong Posted October 13 Posted October 13 Imagine within a 24 hour period your team is 0-2 and going back to Seattle. Quote
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