2013 American League East Preview

***The Division Preview that follows is not betting advice in any way shape or form.  Please do not bet any money based in any part on these predictions.***

For a a little over a decade this has been considered the best division in baseball.  The Yankees and Red Sox have absolutely dominated the American League East since the strike year of 1994.  With the exception of the Orioles in 1997 and the 2008 Rays, the Yankees or Red Sox won the division every year.  One of the two also finished second in every season since the strike, except 2011 and 2012.

The Yankees and Red Sox are starting to fall back while the Orioles, Rays and Blue Jays have improved to create a more competitive division.  Coming into this season it would not be a surprise to see any of these teams finish first or last.  The Yankees have grown old before our eyes and are trying to find their way without Steinbrenner in charge.  Many have predicted a complete Yankee collapse but don't forget this team won 95 games last year.  The Orioles pulled a magic trick in challenging the Yankees for first last year and return with almost the same team, although it is hard to imagine them winning as many games in comeback fashion or with the patch work pitching rotation they used last year.  The Rays continue to lose premiere players, yet every year Joe Maddon has them in contention.  The Red Sox have talent that most organizations would kill for but the clubhouse chemistry is terrible.  The Blue Jays have made great improvements but did they change too many parts at one time?

As the division appears to be in a state of upheaval with all the cards up in the air it will be a fun six months watching the five teams fight it out and seeing who will land on top.  Here's how I see it playing out:

Toronto Blue Jays

Blue Jays logo courtesy of sportslogos.net

Last Year's Record:
73-89 (4th in AL East)
Who's new?*:
Mark Buehrle (P) trade from Marlins, R.A. Dickey (P) trade from Mets, Jeremy Jeffress (P) contract purchased from Royals, Josh Johnson (P) trade from Miami, Dustin McGowan (P) returning from surgery, Esmil Rogers (P) trade from Indians, Henry Blanco (C) free agent from Diamondbacks, A.J. Jimenez (C) from minor leagues, Josh Thole (C) trade from Mets, Mark DeRosa (IF) free agent from Nationals, Ryan Goins (IF) from minors, Maicer Izturis (2B) free agent from Angels, Jose Reyes (SS) trade from Marlins, Emilio Bonifacio (OF) trade from Marlins, Melky Cabrera (OF) free agent from Giants.
Who left?*:
Henderson Alvarez (P), traded to Marlins, Joel Carreno (P) sent to minor leagues, Chad Beck (P) on expanded spring training roster, Andrew Carpenter (P) free agent to Cubs, David Carpenter (P) traded to Boston Red Sox, Robert Coello (P) free agent to Angels,  Kyle Drabek (P) on extended spring training roster, Sam Dyson (P) traded to Marlins, Jason Frasor (P) free agent to Rangers, Shawn Hill (P) free agent to Tigers, Bobby Korecky (P) sent to minor leagues,  Aaron Laffey (P) free agent to Mets, Brandon Lyon (P) traded to Mets, Scott Richmond (P) unsigned free agent, Carlos Villanueva (P) free agent to Cubs,  Jeff Mathis (C) traded to Marlins, Kelly Johnson (2B) free agent to Rays, Yunel Escobar (SS) traded to Marlins, Omar Vizquel (SS) unsigned free agent, Adeiny Hechevarria (IF) traded to Marlins, Yorvit Torrealba (UT) free agent to Rockies, Mike McCoy (UT) sent to minor leagues, Yan Gomez (UT) traded to Cleveland Indians.
What to expect: 
Expect the best.  Toronto is going all in this year with a complete overhaul.  They have a combination of young and old.  Power and speed.  Award winners and possible future award winners.  They have a deep pitching rotation, strong defense up the middle, speed at the top and bottom of the lineup and power in the middle of the order.  On paper this is the best team in the division.
Why should you root for these guys?: 
There has not been this much excitement over baseball in Toronto since the league had two divisions in each league, the Brewers were in the American League and the Nationals were still the Montreal Expos.  For the first time since before the 1994 strike canceled the World Series the Canadian baseball fan actually has expectations of the playoffs.  This team would like to carry on the tradition of Joe Carter, Roberto Alomar, Devon White and Jimmy Key and it would be fun to see the Jays playing in October. 
Why might this season not turn out like Blue Jays fans want?: 
The game is not played on paper.  Everyone on the roster needs to quickly adjust to the new surroundings and new team mates.  R.A. Dickey had a great 2012 (and the Jays were smart enough to make sure his personal Catcher came along to catch the knuckle ball), but it is hard to expect Dickey to repeat the great numbers of last year because they were so far above his career numbers.  Manager John Gibbons has been a part of the Toronto organization in the past but he will need to quickly make a connection with the remaining players from the John Farrell era.  Bautista and Encarnacion flourished under Farrell.  Will they feel as comfortable under Gibbons?  The majority of the new players came from the Marlins, a team that finished in last place in 2012.  Will they be able to lift the Jays to the top perch?
Don't expect too much from him: 
Josh Johnson has all the potential in the world but has had to struggle with the Marlins poor teams since 2005.  There will be less pressure on him as the fourth starter in Toronto as opposed to the expectations of being a young ace.  Now that there is less pressure and a better team around him Johnson will need to finally define his career:  big time pitcher or unfulfilled potential.
Expect great things from:
Jose Reyes is an exciting, top of the lineup speedster.  He will be a big reason the Blue Jays win, if they do.  His speed gives them a threat they have not had since Rickey Henderson and will lead to Toronto having a well balanced offense.  His ability to steal bases can be a major distraction to pitchers and can lead to Bautista and Encarnacion seeing some extra mistake pitches. 
Time for him to step up:
Rickey Romero has been billed for several years as the future of this team.  He steadily improved from 2009 through 2011 but 2012 was a disappointment and Romero was frustrated by the end of the year, finishing just 9-14.  He has fallen to the fifth starter with competition from J.A. Happ for the fifth starter spot.  Romero will need to make his mark this year.
Is this his last chance?:
Melky Cabrera has had a good career.  He won the World Series with the 2009 Yankees and had a decent 2011 with Kansas City.  He was part of a big trade between the Royals and Giants that sent Jonathan Sanchez to the Royals.  The Giants were looking at Cabrera as an MVP candidate until late August when he was suspended for using a banned substance.  The Blue Jays made some dramatic improvements to the roster, but adding Cabrera will be the one looked at with the biggest skepticism.  Cabrera has become the target of the anti-steroids push and will need to prove that he can perform without the use of PED's.  He will be heavily scrutinized and if he fails he may not get another shot.
Prediction: 
First place in AL East.

New York Yankees

Yankees logo courtesy of Wikipedia

Last Year's Record:
95-67 (1st place).
Defeated Baltimore Orioles 3-2 in ALDS.
Lost to Detroit Tigers 4-0 in ALCS.
Who's new?*:
Manny Banuelos (P) promoted from minors, Dellin Betances (P) promoted from minors, Cesar Cabral (P) promoted from minors, Shawn Kelley (P) trade from Mariners, Brett Marshall (P) promoted from minors, Michael Pineda (P) return from injury (possibly back by June), Jose Ramirez (P) promoted from minors, Francisco Rondon (P) promoted from minors, Nik Turley (P) promoted from minors, Austin Romine (C) promoted from minors, David Adams (2B) promoted from minors, Corban Joseph (2B) promoted from minors, Kevin Youkilis (3B) free agent from White Sox, Zoilo Almonte (OF) promoted from minors, Ramon Flores (OF) promoted from minors, Travis Hafner (DH) free agent from Indians.
Who left?*:
Freddy Garcia (P) free agent to Padres, Rafael Soriano (P) free agent to Nationals, Corey Wade (P) free agent to Cubs, Derek Lowe (P) unsigned free agent, Justin Thomas (P) free agent to Athletics, Ryota Igarashi (P) free agent to Mets, Russell Martin (C) free agent to Pirates, Raul Ibanez (OF/DH) free agent to Mariners, Nick Swisher (OF) free agent to Indians, Eric Chavez (3B/DH) free agent to Diamondbacks, Andruw Jones (OF) free agent to Japan, Casey McGehee (OF) unsigned free agent, Chris Dickerson (OF) free agent to Orioles, Ramiro Pena (IF/DH) free agent to Braves, Darnell McDonald (UT) free agent to Cubs.
What to expect:
Yankee fans shouldn't get their hopes too high.  A playoff birth is possible but they are an aging team with an ownership group still getting their foundation set after the Boss stepped away a few years ago.  If all goes well they could still compete for a division title and even the World Series but it would take a lot going right for that to happen.  Don't believe the talk of a complete collapse but don't expect them to be more than an average team.
Why should you root for these guys?: 
Jeter, Rivera and Pettite are the last links to the last great Yankee dynasty.  This will certainly be Rivera's last year and could very likely be the last for Jeter and Pettite.  For the three pillars of the Yankees greatness, it would be nice to see them go out on top. Ichiro languished in Seattle doing great things for a terrible organization.  He finally got his chance in the playoffs last year but the Yankees came up short.  Ichiro is assuredly a Hall of Famer once he retires, it would be nice to see him inducted while wearing a World Series ring. 
Why might this season not turn out like Yankee fans want?: 
There are a lot of questions coming into this season, starting with A-Rod.  On top of his injury, which will keep him out until at least the All Star Break, there is the not insignificant matter of the Miami based steroid clinic which he had some connection with.    It is not likely, but entirely possible, that he will receive some sort of discipline from the league.  Youkilis is a good player and contributed heavily to the White Sox strong 2012 but he is on the decline and will not give them the numbers that A-Rod  gave them when he was healthy.  C.C. Sabathia denied rumors about shoulder issues at the end of last season but was clearly hurting and it is unclear how many innings Pettite will be able to give them.  Rivera will be  returning from almost an entire year off recuperating from the catastrophic knee injury that would have ended most careers.  Will he be able to step back into the closers role as though nothing happened? This is an aging team with little youth in the pipeline to infuse life into the system.
Don't expect too much from him:
Derek Jeter suffered a severe ankle injury in the playoffs. He is known for playing through pain, and doing it well.  Yet, at his age, coming back from a major injury of this type is not as many seem to expect.  Jeter only got clearance to start running again within the last few weeks and will have to work hard to get his legs back.  His signature play is chasing a ball deep in the hole and throwing while leaping off balance.  How will the ankle hold up when he has to make that play?
Expect great things from: 
Brett Gardner missed most of last year with an injury but is looking healthy and is ready to go.  Gardner has a lot of talent and will be looked on to make up for the lost production of Swisher.  He should be able to contribute better numbers than Swisher did last year and could be an All Star this year.
Time for him to step up:
Joba Chamberlain came onto the scene in 2007 with a lot of expectations and he seemed ready fulfill all expectations.  Since 2009 he has been up and down and missed most of an entire season recovering from a severe ankle injury. He is on the Active Roster, however, not listed on the depth chart.  The Yankees will need him to have a great comeback season if they are going to make a deep run in the playoffs.
Is this his last chance?:
Most of this team is on their last chance to win a World Series.  Jeter, Pettite, Ichiro, Rivera, Hafner and Youkilis have been in this game for a long time and are all on the decline.  Rivera has already said that this will be his last year and the other old men may not be far behind. As these players start to bow out the Yankees have little hope to immediately replace them.
Prediction:
2nd Place in AL East. Second Wild Card.

Tampa Bay Rays

Tampa Bay Rays logo courtesy of sportslogo.net

Last Year's Record: 
90-72 (3rd Place in AL East)
Who's new?*: 
Alex Colome (P) promoted from minor leagues, Frank De los Santos (P) promoted from minors, Roberto Hernandez (aka Fausto Carmona) (P) free agent from Indians, Mike Montgomery (P) trade from Royals, Jake Odorizzi (P) trade from Royals, Felipe Romero (P) promoted from minors, Enny Romero (P) promoted from minors, Robinson Chirinos (C) returning from concussion issues, Tim Beckham (SS) promoted from minors, Yunel Escobar (SS) trade from Marlins, Kelly Johnson (2B) free agent from Blue Jays, James Loney (1B) free agent from Red Sox.
Who left?*: 
J.P. Howell (P) free agent to Dodgers, Burke Badenhop (P) traded to Brewers, Wade Davis (P) traded to Royals, James Shields (P) traded to Royals, Carlos Pena (1B) free agent to Astros, Will Rhymes (3B) free agent to Nationals, Elliott Johnson (SS) traded to Royals, Drew Sutton (IF) free agent to Red Sox, Brandon Allen (LF) free agent to Rangers, B.J. Upton (CF) free agent to Braves, Reid Brignac (OF) traded to Rockies, Brooks Conrad (UT) unsigned free agent, Ben Francisco (UT) free agent to Indians, Jeff Keppinger (3B) free agent to White Sox.
What to expect: 
The Rays continue to lose key players, yet they always stay competitive.  Joe Maddon is one of the best managers in the game but rarely gets the attention for the great results he gets out of the talent he has.  It seems that he likes it that way.  They have continued to stay in the playoff hunt year after year despite a low budget, low attendance and low national attention.  Expect the Rays to stay in the playoff chase until late in the season but it would be unlikely they will actually get a wild card spot.
Why should you root for these guys?:
If you enjoy rooting for underdogs, this is your team.  Small budget, constant turn over of the roster and very little support from the local fans.  Evan Longoria and David Price are two truly great players who do not always get the recognition they deserve. 
Why might this season not turn out like Rays fans want?: 
Joe Maddon has been able to work miracles over the last few years but even he may be running out of tricks.  The team lost four more major pieces this off season (B.J. Upton, Wade Davis, James Shields and Carlos Pena).  Yunel Escobar was brought on board but there are rumors that his clubhouse presence is less than positive, which is something Maddon won't put up with.  They gave up James Shields and Wade Davis to the Royals and got Wil Meyers, Kansas City's top prospect, in return but it is unclear what he will contribute this year.
Don't expect too much from him: 
Yunel Escobar has a lot of talent but for some reason he doesn't seem to be able to stick with a team.  He was traded from the Blue Jays to the Marlins to the Rays within the span of a week and there were rumors that he was not the most likable teammate.  (No former team mates were specifically linked to the rumors.) 
Expect great things from: 
Evan Longoria and David Price are two great young talents with great careers ahead of them. In their short careers, both starting in 2008, they have been able to do what was thought impossible in 2007: they turned Tampa Bay into a consistent playoff contender.  With a healthy Longoria the Rays may again have some surprises up their sleeves.
Time for him to step up:
James Loney played a big part in the Dodgers 2008 and 2009 playoff teams and looked like he would be their first baseman for the next decade at least.  In fact, three years ago, as Joe Torre stepped away, Dodgers fans likely would have expected Matt Kemp to be dealt away before Loney. For whatever reason Loney's numbers started to slip and his consistency never recovered.  Dodgers fans continued to hope for Loney to get back on track but when Adrian Gonzalez became available Loney became expendable.  A new setting may be just what he needs to restart his career.  He has All Star potential. If he is able to fulfill that potential you can look for the Rays to challenge for a playoff spot.  
Is this his last chance?:
Roberto Hernandez (known as Fausto Carmona until last year), had some great years with the Indians.  When Cleveland came within one win of the World Series of 2007, Carmona was a 19 game winner.  His numbers have fallen drastically since then and the Indians finally cut ties. Hernandez is currently listed  as the sixth starter in a five man rotation.  He will need to fight to make the team.
Prediction:
3rd in AL East

Boston Red Sox

Boston Red Sox logo courtesy of sportslogo.net

Last Year's Record: 
69-93 (5th in AL East)
Who's new?*: 
Drake Britton (P) promoted from minor leagues, Ruby de la Rosa (P) trade from Dodgers, Ryan Dempster (P) free agent from Rangers, Joel Hanrahan (P) trade from Pirates, John Lackey (P) return from injury, Koji Uehara (P) free agent from Rangers, Allen Webster (P) promoted from minors, Alex Wilson (P) promoted from minors, Dan Butler (C) promoted from minors, David Ross (C) free agent from Braves, Christian Vazquez (C) promoted from minor leagues, Stephen Drew (SS) free agent from Athletics, Brock Holt (2B) trade from Pirates, Mike Napoli (IF/C/DH) free agent from Rangers, Jonny Gomes (OF) free agent from Athletics, Alex Hassan (OF) promoted from minors, Shane Victorino (OF) free agent from Dodgers.
Who left?*: 
Aaron Cook (P) free agent to Phillies, Scott Atchison (P) free agent to Mets, Zach Stewart (P) traded to Pirates, Rich Hill (P) free agent to Indians, Vicente Padilla (P) unsigned free agent, Daisuke Matsuzaka (P) free agent to Indians, Guillermo Quiroz(C) free agent to Giants, James Loney (1B) free agent to Rays, Danny Valencia (3B) contract sold to Orioles, Mike Aviles (UT) traded to Blue Jays, Ivan DeJesus (SS) traded to Pirates, Cody Ross (RF) free agent to Diamondbacks, Che-Hsuan Lin (CF) claimed off waivers by Astros, Scott Podsednik (UT) unsigned free agent, Nate Spears (OF) free agent to Indians, Jason Repko (OF) unsigned free agent,
What to expect: 
This is a rebuilding year.  Last year was a miserable, devastating follow up to a miserable, devastating 2011.  From the very first week of Spring Training it was clear this was not a good environment and several players asked the team to get rid of Valentine. Valentine felt that several coaches on his own team were sabotaging him and the ownership was nowhere to be found. Mike Aviles and Dustin Pedroia were the only two bright spots and Aviles was shipped off this winter.  Boston made some nice moves this offseason in signing Jonny Gomes, Shane Victorino, Steven Drew and trading for Joel Hanrahan.  Unfortunately, the environment in Boston has become so bad that it may take a few years to get things back in order. If John Farrell thought he would be able to ease into the regular season he was wrong.  He has already had a confrontation with Pitcher Jose Aceves who was loafing during batting practice.  It could be business as usual in Boston.
Why should you root for these guys?:
The Boston faithful suffered through a miserable 2012 season.  They had high hopes going into the season, believing the collapse at the end of 2011 was a fluke.  They stuck with their team and all they got was one of the worst Red Sox seasons since Grady Little was managing.  It is nice to see the faith of fans rewarded once in awhile.
Why might this season not turn out like Red Sox fans want?:
2013 has already started the way 2012 ended: problems in spring training. John Farrell is a great baseball mind but he had a ton of talent in Toronto and was not able to pass the Rays or even the Orioles in the standings.  How will he lead the Red Sox with less talent and more strife past four other teams?  The pitching staff, which should have been the team's strength the last few years has been disappointing and is even weaker now than it has been for nearly a decade.  Lester and Bucholz will need to finally fulfill their promise.
Don't expect too much from him: 
Mike Napoli was considered a good Catcher with potential All Star abilities until he destroyed Cardinal pitching in the 2011 World Series in front of a national audience.  From that point on the expectations went way up.  His 2012 season was closer to his career totals.  His average dropped from .320 to .227, his strikeouts went up from 85 to 125 his doubles dropped from 25 to 9 and his Home Runs dropped from 30 to 24.  Napoli signed with the Red Sox this offseason, although the process was held up considerably when Napoli failed a physical. Napoli will probably improve on the 2012 season but don't expect the performance he showed in the  2011 World Series.
Expect great things from:
Shane Victorino is one of those players that is loved by the fans who get to see him everyday but hated by everyone else.  He is a motor guy who gives his all every time he steps on the field.   With Victorino at the top of the lineup expect him to score a lot of runs and create opportunities for Pedroia, Ortiz and Napoli.
Time for him to step up:
Clay Bucholz showed flashes of brilliance when he first came to the majors but injuries have slowed his progress.  He has been up and down to the minors every year except 2011 and has only had one season (17-7 in 2010) where he has come close to being the pitcher everone expected.  The Sox will need Bucholz to be what everyone believes he can be if they have a chance to compete for a wild card spot.
Is this his last chance?:
David Ortiz is one of the few remaining links to the 2004 and 2007 World Series Championship teams.  He has been a consistent performer and fan favorite for a decade in Beantown.  Ortiz quietly had a very strong year in 2012 (.318, 23 HR) but he is 37 and injuries have started to take their toll.  For the last few years there have been whispers that he may be retiring soon.  When he does the Boston fans will lose a great player and a great presence in the Boston community.
Prediction:
4th Place in AL East


 Baltimore Orioles

Classic Orioles logo courtesy of sportslogos.net

Last Year's Record: 
93-69 (2nd in AL East). 
Texas Rangers in Wild Card Game. 
Lost to New York Yankees 3-2 in ALDS.
Who's new?*:
Mike Belfiore (P) promoted from minors, Zach Clark (P) promoted from minor leagues, Todd Redmond (P) off waivers from Reds, Russ Canzler (3B) off waivers from Yankees, Yamaico Navarro () trade from Pirates, Jonathan Schoop (3B) promoted from minor leagues, Danny Valencia (3B) trade from Red Sox.
Who left?*:
Joe Saunders (P) free agent to Seattle Mariners, Kevin Gregg (P) free agent to Dodgers, Dana Eveland (P) unsigned free agent, Randy Wolf (P) unsigned free agent, Zach Phillips (P) unsigned free agent, J.C. Romero (P), Mark Reynolds (1B/3B) free agent to Indians, Robert Andino (2b) trade to Mariners, Omar Quintanilla (UT) free agent to Mets, Endy Chavez (OF) free agent to Royals, Steven Tolleson (UT) free agent to the White Sox, Bill Hall (UT) free agent to Angels
What to expect:
Going into this season with the same expectations as last spring training is probably the best mindset for the Orioles fan.  Expect them to compete hard but don't look for a playoff spot.  They are still in a tough division.  The Yankees are still the Yankees and the Blue Jays are now much more talented with something to prove. The Orioles are still the same team, with some minor improvements, and that may or may not translate into the Orioles magic of last season.  If any manager can pull another rabbit out of the hat it will be Buck Showalter.
Why should you root for these guys?:
There are some players on this team that may end up in the Orioles Hall of Fame someday.  Matt Wieters, Adam Jones and Nick Markakis are well on their way to being Orioles legends on the same level as Boog Powell, Dave McNally, Mike Cuellar, Brady Anderson and Ben McDonald.  The Orioles have been rebuilding for the better part of 15 years and the process finally gave fruit in 2012.  We will have to wait and see how much of that was smoke and mirrors and how much will be a consistent formula.
Why might this season not turn out like Orioles fans want?:
Last year was a magical year full of exciting extra inning, one run games and players no one expected to contribute stepping up to help the Orioles win.  For the Orioles to win last year they used 12 different starting pitchers.  Of those 12 only 6 won above 50% of their decisions and only one (Wei-Yin Chen) hit double digits in wins.  Their top three starters (Chen, Chris Tillman and Miguel Gonzales) certainly are a reason for Bird Land fans to be excited but it will take a lot of magic to repeat last year.
Don't expect too much from him: 
Manny Machado was thrown into the heat of a pennant race and told that he was no longer a Shortstop, he was now a third baseman before he had time to think about it.  He gave the Orioles exactly what they needed in the 51 games he played.  The downside is that he has now raised the expectations of what he can do based on a small sample size.  He should be a good third baseman and may be the best the O's have had at the hot corner since Cal Ripken's last few years, however, don't expect him to challenge for a batting title or Home Run crown.  Expect him to be an above average every day third baseman who will still be learning the position.
Expect great things from:
Adam Jones and Matt Wieters both had tremendous years in 2012.  Wieters proved he is the best catcher in the American League and Jones was in the MVP discussion until Cabrera and Trout took over the season.  Regardless of what the Orioles do, O's fans should enjoy the great play of two potentially all time great Orioles.
Time for him to step up:
Ryan Flaherty played a total of 77 games last season (only 28 at second base), trading time with Robert Andino and Brian Roberts.  Andino was traded to Seattle in the offseason and Roberts has health issues that have severely limited his playing time over the last five years. Flaherty will now be the everyday second baseman with high expectations.
Is this his last chance?: 

Chris Davis is in a very similar situation to Ryan Flaherty.  Davis has a strong bat that Showalter wants in the lineup everyday but Showalter struggled to find a place for him to play.  He saw time at DH, Firstbase, Rightfield and Leftfield with no permanent spot.  Showalter allowed Mark Reynolds, who had a great September in the Orioles playoff push, to leave the team by free agency.  The decision drew a lot of criticism but Showalter was sure that Davis belonged at Firstbase.  Davis will need to prove he can play everyday or the Orioles may be looking for a replacement.

Prediction: 5th Place in AL East

*-All roster changes are based on active rosters at the end of 2012 and active rosters as of the week of 2/18.  Teams may have non-roster invitees in camp who are not listed in the "Who's New?" category.

Catfish: The Birth of Free Agency and the Rebirth of the Yankees

Catfish

Music & Lyrics by: Bob Dylan

Performed by: Bob Dylan

Originally recorded:  1976

Lazy stadium night
Catfish on the mound.
"Strike three," the umpire said,
Batter have to go back and sit down.
Catfish, million-dollar-man,
Nobody can throw the ball like Catfish can.

Photo Courtesy of Bleacher Report

Baseball arrived in California in the late 1950's.  Just a few years after Walt Disney had been told he was throwing his money away by building a theme park based on characters from children's movies, now Walter O'Malley of the Dodgers and Horace Stoneham of the Giants were being told they were destroying their teams by moving them to California when no other team was west of Missouri.  They all ignored the critics and they all were right.  Stoneham and O'Malley not only succeeded, they inspired the American League to move west as well.  It started just a few years later with the expansion franchise, the Los Angeles Angels.  The problem was the American League now had only one team on the west coast and no one else west of Kansas City.  It made traveling logistics a nightmare.  Enter Charles Finley, owner of the Kansas City Athletics.  He saw an opportunity to get out of the empty stadium in Kansas City and bask in the California sun.  Just as the Angels were dropped into the Dodgers' Southern California market as direct competition, Finley moved into the Giants northern California neighborhood as direct competition in 1968.  There was only one problem.  Oakland was not a baseball town.  Football, hell yes.  Al Davis had that market wrapped up tight. But baseball?  The Athletics?  They hadn't been relevant since the 1930's in Philadelphia.  No one came out to watch the games.  They would be sorry.  Finley was growing something and it would soon blossom beautifully in an ugly stadium.  The Athletics in Kansas City were terrible but their last team there was young and inexperienced.  This team was growing up together, learning together, learning to play together, learning to fight together and learning to fight each other.  The 1968 Athletics, the first in Oakland, featured a little used player named Tony LaRussa, as well as two catchers named Dave Duncan and Rene Lacheman (both would be coaches for Tony LaRussa throughout his managerial career in Chicago, Oakland and St. Louis. ) It also featured some young talent like Bert Campaneris, Sal Bando, Joe Rudi, Rick Monday, Dick Green and a powerful 22 year old Outfielder named Reggie Jackson.  Playing in the Oakland Coliseum was tough.  It was a gigantic stadium.  The biggest problem with a gigantic stadium is that it looks even bigger when most of the seats are empty.  It was so empty, quiet, almost peaceful on any given night that the A's players modified the Coliseum to the Mausoleum.  The A's did transplant one All Star with them from Kansas City to Oakland:  James Augustus Hunter.  No one called him James, or even Jim, anymore.  They all called him Catfish.  1968 was the year of the pitcher with Denny McLain winning 30 games for the eventual World Series Champion Tigers and Bob Gibson dominating (that's an understatement) the National League batters.  Yet it was fairly widely accepted that no one could quite throw the ball like Catfish.  He took the mound on May 8, 1968 and the place was dead, as usual.  He could relax and just pitch.  It wasn't like the crowd would notice anyways.  There was only 6,298 people there to watch.  Most of them were probably given tickets or were family members of players.  This was the Athletics and the Twins.  Some might have joked that it was barely Major League Baseball (although these Twins would win the first two American League West division titles when the league went to division play starting in 1969).  Catfish opened the game with his, easy, lazy pitching motion.  It sometimes was hard to tell if you were watching him warm up, pitch batting practice or actually facing a real batter.  Hunter started off facing Cesar Tovar, Rod Carew (Hall of Fame) and Harmon Killebrew (Hall of Fame).  It was an easy inning.  Next inning was Tony Oliva, Ted Uhlander and Bob Allison.  Another easy inning.  Third inning was Jackie Hernandez, Bruce Look and Dave Boswell.  Three more easy outs.  He went through the whole lineup a second time.  Nine Batters. 4 strikeouts, 3 flyballs and 2 groundballs.  Six perfect innings.  The 7th and 8th came and went.  6 batters:  4 more flyballs, 1 more groundball and 1 more strikeout.  No walks, no hits, no errors, no nothing for the Twins.  Now the 9th inning. The funny thing about perfect games is that at the end the pitcher is facing the bottom of the lineup, usually the weak hitters who didn't scare him before the game started.  Now those last three hitters are the ones that are making the pitcher break into a cold sweat.  The A's were up 4-0.  John Roseboro pinch hit for Jackie Hernandez.  No problem for Hunter.  Ground ball.  1 out.  Two more to go.  Next up was Look and apparently that was all he did.  He struckout looking at strike three.  One more out.  Hunter had to face Rich Reese, pinch hitting in the pitcher spot.  He did the same as Look.  He struckout looking.  A perfect game for Catfish and the A's had their first identifiable moment in Oakland.  Too bad there was no one there to see it. 

Used to work on Mr. Finley's farm
But the old man wouldn't pay
So he packed his glove and took his arm
An' one day he just ran away.
Catfish, million-dollar-man,
Nobody can throw the ball like Catfish can.

Photo Courtesy of Bleacher Report

Charles Finley was not well liked by the other owners.  He was not well liked by the commissioner.  He was not well liked by his managers and he was not well liked by his players.  Most owners were "gentlemen" who had the best interest of the game at heart.  They were interested in promoting the sport, not in promoting novelties.  Finley didn't care.  He had to find ways to get people into the stadium.  When his operations were still in Kansas City, Finley begged the Beatles to play in Kansas City during their 1964 tour.  The problem was they only had one open date and it was scheduled for a vacation to New Orleans.  Finley was insistent and paid $150,000 for them to appear.  No one had made that much for one concert before.  Coincidence or not, the next album, Beatles For Sale, included a recording of a song the Beatles had performed for years (and McCartney still performs) called Kansas City/Hey, Hey, Hey.  Finley's extravagance was worth it.  At the height of Beatlemania the stadium was overflowing.  He did other things that were not so well accepted by the baseball establishment.  He replaced the traditional White Elephant logo of the Connie Mack years with a live donkey named Charley O (makes you wonder if he realized he was naming a jack ass after himself). After the year of the pitcher in 1968 he argued for more offense in the sport  (ironic considering the size of his own stadium stifled offense). He argued for the introduction of bright orange  or gold colored balls to make it easier for  hitters to see the pitch.  He argued for replacing the pitcher's spot in the lineup with a player being designated as only a hitter, not a position player, in the lineup.  The designated hitter was born.  His crazy ideas were not only spread to the league as a whole, he tried to find ways to draw attention to the A's.  He installed a mechanical rabbit named Harvey that popped up behind the plate to present the umpires with a fresh set of baseballs when needed.  The traditional blue and white Athletics uniforms of Jimmie Foxx, Mickey Cochrane, Al Simmons, Lefty Grove and Bob Johnson were transformed into gaudy canary yellow and kelly green.  He paid bonuses to his players for growing unique mustaches, the winner clearly was Rollie Fingers.  The A's grew into the best team of the early 1970's.  As the league went to division play the A's dominated the west winning the division in 1971, 1972, 1973, 1974 and 1975 and winning the World Series in 1972, 1973 and 1974.  Usually players are happy when they win.  Not in Oakland.  It was the most miserable dynasty in baseball history.  Finley was not only known for his crazy ideas he was known for being cheap.  The team had won three World Series and were paid less than teams who had not been competitive for over a decade.   Hunter's contract was for $100,000, although it had a deferment clause.  He would receive $50,000 pay and the other $50,000 would be invested as Hunter specified. As a father Hunter wanted to invest in his children's education so he told Finley after the 1974 season to put the $50,000 into a college fund.  When Finley learned that he could not write off the deferred payment as he originally thought he handed Hunter a $50,000 check.  Hunter was smart and so were his lawyers.  when Hunter returned the check with instructions to immediately deposit the amount in an annuity, Finley returned the check again.  Wasn't $50,000 the same regardless of how it got there?  Not to Hunter's tax lawyers.  Finley refused to follow the directions and Hunter sued for breach of contract.  He won.  The court declared that Finley had failed to live up to his end of the contract and therefore the contract was voided.  The reserve clause in the contract did not apply because the contract did not exist anymore.  James Augustus Catfish Hunter, the 1974 Cy Young Award winner (25-12, 2.39 ERA and 6 Shutouts) became what the owners had long feared:  the first free agent in the history of baseball.  Everyone wanted this guy because it was clear that no one could throw the ball like Catfish Hunter.

Come up where the Yankees are,
Dress up in a pinstripe suit,
Smoke a custom-made cigar,
Wear an alligator boot.
Catfish, million-dollar-man,
Nobody can throw the ball like Catfish can.

Photo Courtesy of Sports Illustrated

This was unheard of in any sport.  An established star, at the absolute apex of his prime, with seemingly unlimited potential, available for any team without having to give something equal back to the competition.  Until now the only way to get a player of this caliber was through a trade.  Usually to get this type of player you had to give your direct competition an equally great player or some pretty amazing prospects.  Now, everything had changed.  Instead of a player begging the owners to give him a raise, the owners were lining up to beg the player to take their money.  Every team threw money at him.  Even the Padres offered to break the bank for him.  Hell, Ray Kroc offered to not only make him the highest paid player in the history of sports, but to give him a chain of McDonald's franchises.  The Red Sox, Orioles, Royals and Dodgers all tried to sign him.  Hunter still assumed that Finley would make an offer and he would end up back in Oakland.  It still had not sunk in that he could actually choose where he wanted to go.  His lawyers set up meetings in their North Carolina offices and the small town was overrun by baseball executives seemingly throwing money at Hunter.  The Red Sox thought they had the inside track, even having Ted Williams call Catfish to tell him how much he would like playing in Boston.  One team had something that no one else had:  Clyde Kluttz.  Clyde had played in the majors for ten years, well played may be a stretch.  He spent a lot of time on the bench.  Between 1942 and 1952 he played in less than 700 games and played for five teams (including the Browns twice).  After his final year in the big leagues Kluttz became a scout for the Kansas City Athletics and discovered Jim Hunter at a high school in North Carolina.  Kluttz signed him to his first contract.  Years later, working for the Yankees, Kluttz had the chance to bottle lighting twice.  The Yankees had been flat out bad since 1964, one of the truly dark periods of the franchise, but they were building a nice team.  They had young talent in the system with Thurman Munson, Roy White and a young pitcher coming up named Ron Guidry.  It was not a tremendous collection of talent but the new Yankees owner was certainly willing to spend the money necessary to bring glory back to the pinstripes.  Kluttz talked to Hunter and convinced him that the Yankees were a good fit.  The money didn't hurt.  It was a five year contract for $3.75 Million.  It was the start of a new baseball world and not all of the owners were looking forward to it.  Almost immediately players were trying to find loopholes in their contracts, clauses that would allow them to do what Catfish did.  Few succeded. 
 

Carolina born and bred,
Love to hunt the little quail.
Got a hundred-acre spread,
Got some huntin' dogs for sale.
Catfish, million-dollar-man,
Nobody can throw the ball like Catfish can.

Photo Courtesy of Sports Illustrated

Finley wanted his team to have character and characters.  He encouraged the mustache brigade, loved the spectacle of the clashing uniform colors and also developed an entire (fake) back story for one of his players from North Carolina.  The story was that this player, as a backwoods kid growing up in the south, ran away with a fishing pole one day and returned with two catfish under his arms.  From then on he was known as Catfish Hunter.  Problem was, Hunter was no dumb backwoods hick.  He was an intelligent, well spoken, polite and well liked young man. Anyone who met him knew immediately that Catfish didn't quite fit the personality but by that time the name had stuck.  Sure, he loved to go hunting, he often went with his brothers and several times invited Clyde Kluttz to go as well.  Before his 1964 rookie season one of his brothers accidentally discharged a rifle taking part of Jim's foot with it.  It was feared his career was over before it had started.  He proved it was not. 

Reggie Jackson at the plate
Seein' nothin' but the curve,
Swing too early or too late
Got to eat what Catfish serve.
Catfish, million-dollar-man,
Nobody can throw the ball like Catfish can.

Photo Courtesy of Bleacher Report

As Bob Dylan prepared material for what was his 1976 Desire album, released during one of his best creative periods, Reggie Jackson was looking for a way out of his Oakland contract.  Jackson was easily the best hitter in the American League at the time and was the lynch pin of the Oakland offense.  everything that happened centered around Reggie.  The problem was that Reggie seemed to always be at odds with everyone.  He and Mike Epstein had a clubhouse fight, not an argument, an actual fight with punches and everything.  After the 1973 season he told his owner he wanted a raise or he wouldn't play in  1974.  Finley was furious but Jackson, MVP of the regular season and the World Series, was irreplaceable.  He made himself intolerable to Finley and he got himself traded to Baltimore.  He didn't want to go to Baltimore so the Orioles made a deal with him.  Play for one year in Baltimore and then you can go where you want.  Earl Weaver was sure that one year in the winning environment of the Orioles would convince Reggie to stay.  Reggie couldn't buy into the team philosophy of the Oriole Way.  After a tumultuous 1976 season Reggie was ready to go. The Yankees were looking for help to get over the hump on the uphill journey to the summit of a championship.  They had made the World Series in 1976, thanks greatly to Catfish Hunter and Thurman Munson, but were swept out by the Big Red Machine.  Billy Martin wanted some offensive help to finally win it.  He wanted someone used to winning and set his sights on a member of the A's winning formula to team up with Hunter again.  He set his sights on Joe Rudi.  The Yankees management wanted Jackson.  "I don't want him I want Joe Rudi."  Martin told them.  He got Reggie.  Someone once said of Leo Durocher that he "had a habit of making a bad situation worse".  Jackson some how, intentionally or not, did the same in New York.  Unfortunately Billy Martin had the same character issue.  Immediately upon signing with the Yankees he gave an interview to Sport magazine.  His comments were probably not intended to disturb the team but nearly all of the Yankee players, especially Munson, took offense and the relationship started badly.  It got worse.  The Yankees won the 1977 World Series but no one could stand Reggie.  Munson refused to shake his hand after a home run, a very visible public snub.  In 1978 Martin replaced Reggie in the field in the middle of an inning in a game known as "the Boston massacre".  On national television Reggie went after Billy in the dugout.  They were separated by players and coaches but it was getting ugly.  Billy and Reggie were constantly at odds.  (As has happened in the past, there is way too much information here for a short synopsis. Check back for future detailed posts about the Yankees 1970's dynasty, the early years of the Steinbrenner era).

Even Billy Martin grins
When the Fish is in the game.
Every season twenty wins
Gonna make the Hall of Fame.
Catfish, million-dollar-man,
Nobody can throw the ball like Catfish can.

Photo Courtesy of ESPN

Bob Dylan may have used some poetic exaggeration to make his point in Catfish (much as he did in classic songs like The Lonesome Death of Hattie Carroll and Hurricane) when he sang "every season twenty wins".  Catfish's first year in the league was 1965.  He went 8-8.  That was followed by records of 9-11, 13-17 and 13-13 (the first year in Oakland) and 12-15.  The records are not very impressive but wins and losses do not always define how you have pitched.  Catfish was a special talent but, much like Felix Hernandez in Seattle, he was pitching for a very poor team that did not win many games overall.  As the A's improved so did Hunter's win-loss ratio. In 1970 the A's were competitive and Catfish won 18.  As Oakland went on their run of championships (starting in 1971 through 1974, Hunter's last one in Oakland) Catfish never won less than 21 and finished in the top five in Cy Young voting each year.  His first season in New York was amazing.  He won 23 and finished second in the Cy Young voting.  It was all down hill from there.  Dealing with shoulder issues, elbow issues and other health issues including symptoms of diabetes, the win totals started to drop.    He was still good in 1976 as his 17-15 record helped the Yankees to their first World Series appearance since 1964 but the wins dropped to 9 in 1977.  He was 12-6 in 1978 as the Yankees won their second straight World Series but 1979 was a horrendous 2-9 with a career worst 5.31 ERA.  His health issues had finally caught up with him and Hunter retired with a career 224-166 record and 3.24 ERA.  On top of that he was a five time World Series Champion and Cy Young Award winner.  In 1987 Catfish Hunter was elected to the Hall of Fame along with long time Chicago Cub Billy Williams.  In 1998 Hunter was diagnosed with ALS (commonly known as Lou Gehrig's Disease).  In September of 1999 Hunter fell down a flight of stairs in his house and passed away shortly after.  Hunter's legacy lives on in the Jim "Catfish" Hunter ALS foundation and the A's annually give out a "Catfish Hunter award" to the member of their team "whose play on the field and conduct in the clubhouse most exemplifies the courageous, competitive and inspirational spirit demonstrated by the late Hall of Fame pitcher Jim "Catfish" Hunter".

Joltin' Joe DiMaggio: The Emergence of the Legend

Joltin' Joe DiMaggio

Written by: Ben Homer and Alan Courtney.

Performed by: Les Brown and his Orchestra

Vocals by: Betty Bonney

Originally Recorded: 1941

Audio Clip of Les Brown and His Orchestra's original recording of Joltin' Joe DiMaggio courtesy of youtube.com

The great DiMaggio was not always the great DiMaggio.  Just as Ruth at one point was just a young punk pitcher, Gehrig was just the guy trying to replace Wally Pipp and much later Jeter was just the rookie Shortstop on the Yankees 1996 World Series team, DiMaggio was just a kid when he made it to the majors.  DiMaggio's father was an Italian immigrant who worked as a fisherman.  He moved the family to San Francisco's Fisherman's Wharf area when Joe was one year old.  His father would come home stinking of fish.  It was a hard living and the DiMaggio boys wanted no part of it.  They had one driving ambition.  They wanted to play baseball.  Well, at least Vince did.  Joe used it more of an excuse not to go fishing.  When Joe was 14 he stopped playing baseball and got a paper route to earn some money. It wasn't great but it wasn't fishing.  Vince and Dom never took a break from baseball and Vince was good.  Vince was eventually signed by the San Francisco Seals of the Pacific Coast League.  He encouraged Joe and let him know that he could be very good.  It was clear Joe had talent but Joe would have to get serious to become great.  He did.  He played in playground leagues and Boys Club leagues and with Vince's help he caught the attention of the Seals. In 1932 as the nation was still struggling through the great depression, Charles Lindbergh was handing over a ransom in an attempt to save his baby's life, Connie Mack was selling off the pieces of his great Philadelphia Athletics teams and Babe Ruth was trying to prove he was still the best player the game had ever seen, a young Italian kid in San Francisco debuted with the Seals as a Shortstop.  He played in only 3 games and had only 2 hits (one double and one triple) but he was good enough to get a contract for 1933.  He quickly proved that he had made baseball his life.  He took it very seriously and proved Vince right.  He not only excelled,  he was other worldly.  While playing for the Seals in 1933 DiMaggio hit .340, drove in 169 runs, hit 28 homers and, almost unbelievably, hit in 61 straight games (the team played 187 games that year).  Most would think that was an immediate ticket to the majors but minor league owners of the time could be fickle.  Most of them had no affiliation with Major League teams the way we understand it today.  If they had a guy who could bring that many people into the stadium they needed to get compensation in return for selling the contract.  There was one more problem.  During the off season of that great first year Joe was getting out of a cab late one night when his knee gave out.  The story was that his leg had fallen asleep and when he put the foot on the ground it gave out, causing extensive damage to the knee.  Major League teams disappeared like ghosts.  No one would spend money for a player with a bum knee.  The Seals held on to Joe for three seasons.  After the first year of playing with Vince, the Seals sold the older DiMaggio to the Hollywood Stars and the two never played together again.  Finally, after two more years of proving he wasn't just a flash in the pan, the Yankees took a chance on the kid who could hit minor league pitching but had never faced major league talent.  The Yankees sent Infielder Doc Farrell, Pitchers Floyd Newkirk and Jim Densmore, Outfielder Ted Norbert and $5,000 to the Seals for the rights to negotiate with DiMaggio.  DiMaggio was paid a salary of $8,500 for his first year in the majors.

Photo Courtesy of Biography.com

Betty Bonney: Hello Joe, whatta you know?
DiMaggio: We need a hit so here I go.
Umpire: Ball one

Crowd: Yea!
Umpire: Ball two
Crowd: Yea!
Umpire: Strike one
Crowd: Booo!
Umpire: Strike two
Fan: Kill that umpire!
(snare drum shot.  Slide whistle)
Fan: A case of Wheaties

Occasionally baseball scouts find gold mines of talent in a certain area.  In the 1920's-1930's it was San Francisco.  The Yankees already had two great San Franciscans on the team: their double play combination of Tony Lazzeri (secondbase) and Frankie Crosetti (Shortstop).  As Joe prepared to make the long trek to the opposite part of the country for his first spring training in Florida the Yankees put Joe in contact with the two veterans.  The two Yankee mainstays would carpool with Joe to Florida, each taking a turn to drive.  There was no indication at that point that Joe would one day be "the greatest living ballplayer", he was just a rookie who wanted to make the team, riding with two living Yankee legends.  The deal was that Joe could go along and they would all take turns driving.  Typical of Joe, he said little, and typical of Lazzeri and Crosetti, they said little.  It wasn't until it came to Joe's turn to drive that a conversation broke out.  As it turns out Joe didn't know how to drive.  Crosetti suggested they leave the kid along the side of the road.  He tagged along anyways.  DiMaggio, Crosetti and Lazzeri would be long time friends.  The veterans taught Joe how to be a major league player, and more importantly, how to be a Yankee.  They never said much.  The three were notoriously silent.  Once, as they sat side by side in a hotel lobby there was silence for nearly an hour until DiMaggio cleared his throat.  Out of courtesy Lazzeri asked "what did you say?"  Crosetti finished the conversation with "Shut up.  He didn't say nothing."  They returned to silence.  His rookie season was nothing short of amazing.  He hit .323, 44 doubles, 15 triples, 29 home runs, scored 132 runs and drove in 125.  For a man replacing the great Babe Ruth the pressure didn't seem to effect him.  The Yankees reached the World Series facing the New York Giants.  There were questions of how this Yankees team would perform in the big time.  This was not the Yankees of Herb Pennock, Bob Meusel and Babe Ruth.  This was the new generation.  It could have gone either way. It could have been the Yankees of the 1980's where there was endless talent but no titles.  Or it could have been like the Yankees of the 1990's where there was endless talent and endless titles.  It was like the latter.  The Yankee dynasty of he 1920's was great but the Yankee dynasty that started in 1936 and lasted until 1964 was unbelievable and DiMaggio started it all.  After the tremendous rookie year Joe asked for a raise.  He wanted $17,500.  He got $15,000 but the front office was clear that it was unhappy about this young kid demanding anything.  It was unheard of at the time.  A rookie demanding a raise?  He was worth it.  Actually, the Yankees got him cheap.  Almost unbelievably DiMaggio improved on his rookie season.  He hit .346 with 15 triples, 46 Home Runs, scored 151 and drove in 167.  After another great World Series win Joe wanted another raise.  He wanted $40,000. Didn't Joe know that Gehrig, the true great Yankee who never haggled over salary, didn't even make $40,000? Joe told the Yankees "It's a shame Mr.Gehrig is so underpaid."  The ownership was unhappy.  Joe held out for what he felt he deserved.  Ownership was furious, and bitter and did everything they could to embarrass and break DiMaggio.  They eventually settled on $25,000.  He was vilified by the New York press.  Who did this "damn dago" think he was?  Didn't he know how lucky he was to be a Yankee?  The fans booed him mercilessly.  He was hated.  He won them back.  He led the team to two more pennants and two more World Series titles in 1938 and 1939.  He was becoming a great player steadily and quietly. 

Photo Courtesy of ESPN

He started baseball's famous streak
That's got us all aglow
He's just a man and not a freak,
Joltin' Joe DiMaggio.
Joe, Joe DiMaggio
We want you on our side

The Yankees missed the World Series in 1940 as the Tigers clawed them off their throne.  Joe started 1941 with an eight game hitting streak, going 19 for 36 (that's a .578 average).  He was 0 for his next 10 but managed to reach base by walks in each of the three games he was hitless.  From April 14 (opening day) through May 14th he hit .306, and although he had games where he failed to get hits, he reached base in all but two of the first 28 games.  Not a bad start for most players but the legend has it that Joe was in a slump heading into the May 15th game in Cleveland.  May 14th certainly was nothing to write home about.  He was 0-3 (with a walk) as Cleveland's Mel Harder shut down the Yankees 4-1 in New York.  When Cal Ripken was in the middle of his consecutive games streak he was often asked why he didn't skip a game.  He often said that he didn't want to miss an at bat.  "If I was hitting well I wanted to keep that going.  If I wasn't hitting well I wanted as many at bats as I could get to try and straighten myself out."  As Joe's "slump" reached 0 for his last 7 at bats the Yankees prepared to take on the White Sox in New York.  It was a game Joe would have loved to forget.  They lost 13-1, although Joe singled and drove in the only run for the Yankees.  He had a double and a triple the next night,  a single and a walk the next night, followed by a 3 for 3 night with  a double, 3 runs, an RBI and a walk.  The slump (0 for 7 can only be called a slump for the greatest hitters in history) was clearly over and what had started as one of the great starts in the history of the game turned into, arguably, the greatest offensive season in the history of the game.  The hits kept coming.  Many times a hitting streak is a grouping of 1 hit games.  DiMaggio's had 34 of them.  It also had thirteen 2 hit games, five 3 hit games and four 4 hit games.  He hit .408 during the streak.  What makes the streak even more amazing was how calm he appeared (although he was suffering from ulcers, chain smoking, drinking endless cups of coffee and couldn't sleep).  Today, when a hitting streak hits the 25 game area you will see guys up there hacking just trying to reach and slap the bat on the ball.  Their strikeout numbers usually skyrocket.  Not for the great DiMaggio.  During the streak he struck out a total of 5 times.

Photo Courtesy of MILB.com

He tied the mark at forty-four
July the 1^st you know
Since then he's hit a good twelve more
Joltin' Joe DiMaggio
Joe, Joe DiMaggio
We want you on our side

On June 3rd the world awoke to the news of the death of the beloved Lou Gehrig.  That day the streak reached 20 and Joe went 1-4 with a run, an RBI and a strikeout. On June 6, an off day, the Yankees dedicated a monument to Lou Gehrig in centerfield, the first monument in what would grow to be known as monument park. On June 17 he went 1-4 and scored a run to hit in his 30th straight.  People started taking notice.  Thirty is a nice round number but others had done that.  Tris Speaker had done it in 1912 with the Red Sox.  Charlie Grimm had done it over two seasons in 1922-1923. Sam Rice hit in 30 straight ending the 1929 season carrying over to the 1930 season.  Most recently, Goose Goslin had done it in the Tigers 1934 World  Series season.  Sam Rice had a separate 31 game streak during the Senators 1924 World Series year.  Harry Heilmann between 1922 and 1923 hit in 32 straight during a .400 season. In Joe's 33rd game he went 4-5, scored three runs and drove in a run.  This followed up his 32nd game where he had gone 3-3 with a Home Run, scoring twice and driving in 2.  George Davis hit in 34 straight in 1893. Hal Chase did it in 1907 and Rogers Hornsby had done it in 1922.  Most recently Heinie Manush had done it in the Senators 1933 pennant winning season.  When DiMaggio hit 35 straight on June 22 it was time to take this thing seriously.  Only 9 other players in the history of the game had done better at that time.  George McQuinn of the St. Louis Browns had hit in 34 straight in 1938.  Joe tied him on June 21.  Fred Clarke hit in 35 for the 1895 Louisville Colonels of the National League.  Ty Cobb had hit 35 in 1917.  The great George Sisler had hit in 35 in 1924 and stretching it into the 1925 season.  Gene DeMontreville of the old Washington franchise in the National League hit in 36 straight from 1896-1897.  Joe kept hitting but he got into some trouble around game 38.  He went into his last at bat of the game 0-3.  He calmly pounded a double to extend the streak and kept slugging.  Ty Cobb had hit in 40 straight in 1911.  Joe tied him on June 28 going 2-5 with a double and scoring once.  George Sisler had 41 straight in 1922.  Joe tied Sisler on June 29, although the country, and probably the pitcher, held his breath when Joe was hit by a pitch. He was fine and so was the streak.  Bill Dahlen of the Cubs had hit in 42 for the Cubs in 1894.  Joe tied Dahlen in the second game of a double header on June29.  There was only one person left ahead of him.  Wee Willie Keeler had hit in 45 straight beginning in 1896 and stretching into the 1897 season.  Keeler had a simple hitting philosophy.  "Hit 'em where they ain't."  DiMaggio followed the advice and tied Keeler on July 1.  The Yankees had a double header that day.  In the second game Joe went 1-3 with a run and an RBI to tie Keeler.  From this point on, anything he did made the streak more uniquely his.  He kept hitting.  On June 6, in a Yankee double header, he hit in games 47 and 48 going a combined 6-9, with a double, triple, 2 runs and 4 RBI in the two games. The next day was the All Star Break and everyone wondered if the three day break from the grind of the pennant race would derail the groove Joe was in.  It didn't.  In the All Star Game, July 8, Joe went 1-3 with a double, a walk and a run as the AL won 7-5.  On July 10 it was back to work and Joe was 1-2.  On July 11 he hit in his 50th.  It was a great game as Joe went 4-5 with a run, two RBI and a Home Run.  On July 16 he hit in game 56 and went 3 for 4 with three runs, a double and a walk.  It seemed like this thing would stretch forever. 

From coast to coast that's all you'll hear
Of Joe the one man show
He's glorified the horsehide sphere
Joltin' Joe DiMaggio
Joe, Joe DiMaggio
We want you on our side

The 1941 New York Yankees were anything but a one man show.  You can add the career numbers of the 1941 team and you will find an amazing collection of players:  Six MVP Awards, Six Hall of Fame Players (Bill Dickey, Joe Gordon, Phil Rizzuto, DiMaggio, Red Ruffing and Lefty Gomez) and 80 All Star Appearances.  The team won 101 games while still struggling to recover from the loss of Lou Gehrig.  They got little production from Lou's spot as Johnny Sturm, at first base, hit only .239 in his only year in the majors.  DiMaggio may have been the star of the team but the 1941 Yankees had names that would define this dynasty for the next decade:  Rizzuto, Charlie Keller, Tommy Henrich, Spud Chandler, George Selkirk and Johnny Murphy

He'll live in baseball's Hall of Fame
He got there blow by blow
Our kids will tell their kids his name
Joltin' Joe DiMaggio
We dream of Joey with the light brown plaque
Joe, Joe DiMaggio
We want you on our side

It's funny to hear the uproar over the Hall of Fame voting that took place a few weeks ago.  With numerous steroid era players hitting the ballot this year, people were livid that players like Craig Biggio, Mike Piazza and Jeff Bagwell were not elected on their first opportunity.  One announcer on MLB Network Radio, who clearly favors Piazza, spent a week screaming that it was a travesty these men were not elected on the first ballot.  He invited several voters onto the show then spent significant air time berating and embarrassing them over their votes.  I am certainly not saying these three are not Hall of Fame Players (and in fact many of the people casting votes probably do not put in the research required to truly make a proper choice).Yet, I think we need to put the first ballot selection into perspective a little bit.  DiMaggio first appeared on a ballot in 1945 (although he was still active, he was serving overseas in the military) when one person cast a vote for DiMaggio.  This one vote was 0.4% of the ballots.  His first real appearance on a ballot was 1953.  He fell short of election to the Hall of Fame.  He received only 44.3% of the votes, fewer votes than Dizzy Dean, Al Simmons, Bill Terry, Bill Dickey, Rabbit Maranville, Dazzy Vance and Ted Lyons.  Dean and Simmons were elected that year.  His next year of eligibility, 1954, saw him passed over again.  Rabbit Maranville, Bill Dickey and Bill Terry were elected.  Joe finished with only 69.4% of the votes.  In 1955 he was finally elected along with Ted Lyons, Dazzy Vance and Gabby Hartnett.  He received 88.8% of the votes.  That means that after having five years following his retirement and three years of eligibility there were people who still felt DiMaggio was not a Hall of Fame Player.  The year that he was elected he received votes on 223 of 251 ballots.  Apparently there were actually 28 Baseball Writers who felt that three MVP awards, 13 All Star appearances, 10 World Series appearances (9 World Series victories), 2214 hits (despite losing three seasons in the prime of his career to World War II and several other partial seasons to injuries) and a .325 career batting average while never striking out more than 39 times in a single season, was not Hall of Fame material.  Joe lived on in more than the baseball hall of fame.  He is forever remembered in the major facets of the arts: music, literature and television and always by the best of the best.  Ernest Hemingway's "Old Man" kept himself sane for hours by talking to himself about the great DiMaggio in "Old Man and the Sea".  Simon and Garfunkel used Joe as an example of what our country had lost from the good old days when they sang "Where have you gone Joe DiMaggio?  A nation turns its lonely eyes to you."  in Mrs. Robinson.  And finally, who could forget Cosmo Kramer stalking Joe at Dinky Donuts in an episode of Seinfeld or Fred Mertz's shocked reaction when Little Rickey asked him who Joe DiMaggio was?  Betty Bonney was right when she said "our kids will tell their kids his name."  She probably could have added a few extra generations onto that.

Photo Courtesy of Sports Illustrated

And now they speak in whispers low
Of how they stopped our Joe
One night in Cleveland Oh Oh Oh
Goodbye streak DiMaggio

Photo Courtesy of Sports Illustrated

The Yankees went into the July 17 game against the Indians with a seven game lead in the standings over the second place Indians.  After winning 14 straight the team had lost on July 14 to the White Sox but started another streak.  If he got a hit tonight he would have been given $10,000 from Heinz 57 to endorse their ketchup.  He came up to bat for the first time and smashed a ball towards thirdbase.  Ken Keltner was there.  He made a spectacular back handed stop and threw to firstbase to retire DiMaggio.  0 for 1.  Later in the game DiMaggio came up again.  He smashed another sharp ground ball to third.  Another hard hit ground ball.  Another amazing backhanded stop by Keltner.  Another out.  0 for 2.  In his third plate appearance DiMaggio coaxed a walk.  He would get one more shot.  It could not have been more dramatic.  It was the bottom of the 8th.  The bases were loaded and it was a tight game.  This was DiMaggio's time to shine.  When the game was on the line DiMaggio always found a way to come through.  Jim Bagby, who had replaced Al Smith with one out in the 8th, delivered a pitch.  Joe caught hold of it and hit a screaming line drive towards shortstop.  Lou Boudreau was right there and caught Joe's last chance for 57.  The streak was over.  It had lasted 56 games: 56 singles, 16 doubles, 4 triples, 15 home runs.  The next night Joe started a new streak that lasted 16 games.   In that 16 game stretch he had 29 hits,  a .382 average and 10 multi-hit games.  Although he had lost the streak at 56, he had reached base on a walk in the 0 for 3 night.  When the second streak of 16 finished he had reached base in 74 straight games and had hits in 73 of 74 games.  It was not until August 3, in both games of a double header, that he was kept off base in consecutive games during the 1941 season.  He had reached base in 98 of the first 103 games of the Yankees season.  By the time he was kept off base in consecutive games the Yankees were 11.5 games ahead in the standings well on their way to beating Pete Reiser, Mickey Owen, Pee Wee Reese and the Brooklyn Dodgers in the World Series.

Take Me Out to the Ballgame: The Cost of Baseball, the Female Experience, the Myth of the Franchise Player and the 7th Inning Stretch

Take Me Out to the Ballgame

Music by: Albert Von Tizler, 1908
Lyrics by: Jack Norworth
Performed by: Edward Meeker

Audio link to original 1908 recording of Take Me Out to the Ballgame

Photo Courtesy of Tower.com

Jack Norworth was not particularly a baseball fan (he had never actually seen a game before) but song inspirations come from odd places.  Norworth was a song writer (he also wrote the famous song "Shine On Harvest Moon").  One day as he was waiting for a train in the subway he saw a poster advertising a game at the Polo Grounds, the Giants' stadium.  This was 1908, one of the best seasons in history.  This was the year of Merkle's boner, the year of Tinker, Evers and Chance's great comeback, the year of a tight race between the White Sox, Tigers and Indians in the AL, the year that Ed Walsh won 40 games.   No one knew it in 1908 but the anthem that would bring together people for the next 100+ years had been written.  The song is sung by people of all races, religions and national origin.  For some of those people the only thing they have in common is that they are attending the same game, yet for the few moments it takes to sing it, nothing else in the stadium matters.  Norworth used the advertisement as an inspiration to do what songwriters do best, create a story:

Katie Casey was baseball mad.
Had the fever and had it bad;
Just to root for the home town crew,
Ev'ry sou* Katie blew.

1903 World Series Ticket Photo Courtesy of Pittsburgh Post Gazzette

Baseball was not always as expensive as it is now.  For many teams sell out games were the exception, not the rule.  At the time Jack Norworth wrote his famous song a fan could attend a game for $.25 in the bleachers, $.75 in what would now be considered a reserved section and $1.00 for a box seat.  You won't find $1.00 tickets anymore.  Some stadiums will have lower priced tickets (like $14.00 in Baltimore and Kansas City, $13.00 in Philadelphia, $11.00 in Milwaukee, depending on the game in LA you may not get anything cheaper than $30.  Some teams, like Anaheim, Seattle and Houston, are not even advertising their pricing yet.)  Yet the cheaper seats are usually cheaper for a reason.  They are farther away, sometimes at odd angles, sometimes obstructed and depending on the stadium and the crowd, seating areas where the notoriously rowdy fans sit (the old 700 level at the Vet in Philly and the bleachers at Dodger Stadium).  I'm sure anyone reading this would love to get by with spending just a "sou" to get out to see a game.  Yet for two people to attend a game with decent seats, after parking, tickets, food and possibly a souvenir you are lucky to get in and out under $150.  For a family of four you can probably more than double that.  So why is it so expensive?  The common belief is that everything is so expensive to pay for the high priced players contracts but there is so much more to it. The parking, quite often, is run by an outside company who can charge whatever they want and the money does not go to the team (although they may get a percentage).  Concessions are the same situation.  The money that Panda Express or California Pizza Kitchen makes at Dodger Stadium does not go to the Dodgers, though the companies would need to pay some sort of rent for the location.  The cost of tickets continue to go up because the cost of running a team continues to go up.  In 1908 there were no minor leagues, or scouts.  There were no statistic nerds on staff trying to break down what Ryan Howard hits with a 2-0 count on Tuesday afternoons between 1:30 and 2:00 when a left handed pitcher is on the mound with his shoes untied.  There were no grounds crews manicuring every blade of grass.  There was no security and ushers for three tiered stadiums.  The bottom line is that the cost has changed because the game has changed and although most teams are out to put a competitive team on the field, some teams are just out to make a profit.

On a Saturday, her young beau
Called to see if she'd like to go,
To see a show but Miss Kate said,
"No, I'll tell you what you can do."

"Take me out to the ball game,
Take me out with the crowd.
Buy me some peanuts and cracker jack,
I don't care if I never get back,
Let me root, root, root for the home team,
If they don't win it's a shame.
For it's one, two, three strikes, you're out,
At the old ball game."

The early days of baseball were not for the faint of heart.  Being a ballplayer brought a certain reputation with it.  Ballplayers were dirty, seedy, hard drinking, hard fighting bums who were good for nothing but to play a child's game and act like children.  The fairer sex was not encouraged to attend the games as it was far too seedy for the sensitive nature of young women.  Women who did pay their money to attend a game unattended were often considered immoral.  This was long before before suffragists fought to gain the right to vote.  Before women were allowed to hold political office or serve in the military.  Long before female workers were stereotyped as being limited to a secretarial or clerical role.  This was when women were not even looked at as workers.  Sports page editorials were full of critiques of the players attitudes and behavior on the field.  The players, according to the editorials of the time, needed to display manly decorum, not childish bickering.  It was unmanly to dispute an umpire's poor call, to argue with an opposing player or to haggle over salary.  A "manly" attitude of the time apparently would have been to accept the worst calls quietly.  A"manly" attitude would have been to apologize to the opposing player for getting in his way as you pulled the spikes of his shoes out of your shins.  A "manly" attitude would have been to thank your owner for cutting your low salary by only $300 instead of the $500 it was cut last year.  The fact that the editorials had to comment on this repeatedly clearly means it wasn't being done.  The ballpark was certainly not a place for women to attend unchaperoned, and many had rules to prohibit women from attending without an escort.  Owners were not blind.  They could see that there was money to be made.  They didn't like the idea of their wives or daughters being equal, but their money certainly was.  Many teams offered "ladies only" days where the female fan could feel free to attend the game without fear of the horrible, dirty, uncouth male baseball fan and the team could make money without being accused of defiling feminine morals.  The Washington Nationals of the old National League had a player named Win Mercer who was a favorite of the ladies.  The team made sure Mercer pitched when the Ladies' Day specials took place.  In 1897 Mercer was pitching during one of these games when he started arguing with the umpire over the balls and strikes calls.  Just like today, no one was allowed to get away with arguing balls and strikes and Mercer was ejected from the game.  The female fans were furious that their idol was treated so rudely and they rioted.  The umpire ran for his life and the episode was used as an example of the horrible decay of the moral fabric caused by the evils of baseball.  In June of 1919, as the White Sox destroyed the American League competition and the Reds were fighting their way to an improbable World Series appearance, the senate voted on the right of women to vote and it passed. In 1920 women voted on a national level for the first time.  Fans of the early part of the game would probably be shocked at the fans of today.  While they tried to discourage the female fan from attending for the most part, we now have pink jerseys, pink hats, MLB t-shirts with Hello Kitty and every team store has a women's section.  Baseball is truly the national game and it appeals to, and encourages, both sexes to enjoy the fun.

Katie Casey saw all the games,
Knew the players by their first names;
Told the umpire he was wrong,
All along good and strong.

 

There is a common longing for the nostalgia of the days, not long ago, when players would commonly play their entire career with one team.  Long ago when you could go out to your local park and year after year you would know your players.  They were your team and they represented your city with pride.  The problem with this nostalgia is that the time period we long for never truly existed, and if it did none of us were alive to see it.  The common belief is that prior to free agency players were less greedy and were happy to stay in one place for their whole career.  There are a few problems with this belief.  First,  there is the misconception that players who played their whole career in one stop chose to stay there.  They really did not have a choice.  Every contract until the 1970's had a "reserve clause".  It was standard in every baseball contract.  It said simply that the team reserved the right to sign the player for the year following the current season.  That meant that at the end of the year Ted Williams could sign a contract to play for the Red Sox again at the amount they offered or he could go home and retire.  He could not go discuss a contract with another team.  Not until Marvin Miller organized the players did they find a way to break this clause instituting free agency across the league.  The players who played their entire career with one team were there because they were so good, teams would be crazy to send them to other teams.  Secondly, the belief that more players ended their career with the team they started with is a misconception.  Regardless of the era they played in, once a player's usefulness to a team was gone so were they.  Teams traded players constantly and the players had no say where they went.  When a star's skills started to decline they would likely be traded to another team who could use their name to draw fans, like a side show freak, but the teams could cut their salary because they couldn't perform any more.  Of course there were players who finished their careers with the team they began.  Ted Williams and Carl Yastrzemski played their whole careers with the Red Sox.  Brooks Robinson and Jim Palmer played their entire career in Baltimore.  Joe DiMaggio, Phil Rizzuto, Yogi Berra and Whitey Ford played their entire careers in Yankee pinstripes.  Walter Johnson pitched every game for the Senators.  Yet some of the greatest legends in baseball history played for more than one team.  Babe Ruth played for the Red Sox, Yankees and Braves.  Ty Cobb played for the Tigers and Athletics.  Frankie Frisch played for the Giants and Cardinals.  Eddie Collins played for the Athletics, the White Sox and the A's again.  Tris Speaker played for the Red Sox, Indians and Senators.  Even Cy Young switched teams five times.  Finally,  there is a wrong belief that we truly want players to play their entire career with one team.  In 2011 the Angels had a great team but they missed the playoffs by one game.  Instead of coming back with the same team they "improved" their team by signing Albert Pujols and C.J. Wilson.  Angels fans went crazy.  They couldn't wait for the team to start play with their new pieces.  As the season went on they trailed in the standings and fans demanded that the team improve before the trade deadline so they added Zach Greinke.  They still missed the playoffs so this offseason they signed more players, including Josh Hamilton because the fans were upset that the high priced collection of players the year before were not good enough.  On the other hand, I was told by an on air personality at MLB Radio network (not me personally but all Orioles fans) that I should be outraged that the Orioles had not gone out to sign a high priced free agent to improve their playoff team from last year.  This statement was followed by a barrage of callers who screamed irrationally into the phone about how angry they were that they were getting the same playoff team back again this year.  The truth is there will always be players like Derek Jeter, Cal Ripken, Tony Gwynn and George Brett to play their entire career in one city but we don't really want the same team every year.  Players switching teams is a big part of what excites us every April.  We start every season thinking that the missing piece has been added and this is our year.

When the score was just two to two,

Katie Casey knew what to do,

Just to cheer up the boys she knew,

She made the gang sing this song:

"Take me out to the ball game,
Take me out with the crowd.
Buy me some peanuts and cracker jack,
I don't care if I never get back,
Let me root, root, root for the home team,
If they don't win it's a shame.
For it's one, two, three strikes, you're out,
At the old ball game."

Photo of William Howard Taft Courtesy of Discovery.com

  At a high school baseball game in Los Angeles during 1934, a quarter century after Jack Norworth was stuck waiting for a train on the other side of the country, the crowd was led in a communal rendition of "Take Me Out to the Ballgame".  Later that year it was sung at major league stadiums+.  Through the years it became tradition to the point where we automatically stand up after the top of the 7th and like a sect of monks we chant the lyrics to this song.  Why after the top of the 7th inning?  "Half time" technically would be after the top of the fifth.  Baseball usually does everything in sets of three (3 outs, 3 bases, 3 strikes, 3 sets of 3 innings, 3 divisions in each league).  Wouldn't it make sense to do it after the end of the sixth?  There's a reason we do it specifically in the middle of the 7th:  Tradition.  Before television and radio broadcasts caused commercial breaks in between innings there was a fairly quick transition between innings.  The players jogged to their positions and the game began.  In the early days of the game there was less offense and less long innings (and less concern about damaging pitching arms) so the pitchers could usually get by with a few warm up pitches and get right back into the game.  In 1910 President William Howard Taft was attending a game in Washington. It was not unusual.  Taft was a big baseball fan and was even a partial owner of the Cincinnati Reds for a time.  He was considered for the position of baseball commissioner when the league finally chose Judge Landis.  Taft loved the game and would rather attend a game than anything else.  Taft was a large man, very large  So large that he had to have a special bath tub installed at the White House to fit him.  Seeing a picture of his girth makes you wonder how uncomfortable he must have been in those tiny seat that are even uncomfortable for us today.  After the top of the seventh Taft could stand it no more.  He had to stretch his legs.  Not necessarily walk around but just get up out of that seat for a few minutes.  We may not always give umpires credit but they can be very smart people on occasion.  The umpire that day recognized that the President of the country was not quite ready to watch the next half inning, so he extended the break in between innings. Out of respect for the President the rest of the crowd took the President's example and everyone got up to stretch.  It became a routine just to get your tail out of the uncomfortable seats for a few moments.  Years later the chorus of the song was added to the routine and what better song to sing?  Larry Anderson of the Phillies broadcast team thinks it was started by a moron.  "In the seventh inning everybody gets up and sings 'Take Me Out to the Ballgame' and they're already there. It's really a stupid thing to say."  Anderson may not like it but we would all miss it if we stopped.  It is such a simple thing and yet so important.  When you sing at the ballpark it doesn't matter if you can actually sing on key (the members of my family have proven that).  It doesn't matter if you paid $125 for a boxed seat or $12.00 for the nose bleeds.  It doesn't matter if you have had season tickets for the last thirty years or if you were given free tickets by someone who couldn't use them and you were going just to get out of the house.  None of that matters at the park.  The important thing is the communal experience.  It doesn't matter if you get the words wrong and sing "I don't care if I ever get back" or "I don't care if I never get back".  It doesn't matter if you root, root, root for the "home team" or if you root, root, root for the Cubbies, the Cardinals, the Rockies or the Padres.  What is important is that you are able to enjoy the experience of several thousand people singing anything together regardless of who they are, what they do, how much they earn or what their political beliefs are.

*- Sou= Low denomination French coins.  Only someone who had never seen a game would have used an outdated French form of currency to describe the cost of the American National Pastime.
+- I am working on trying to find the specific high schools involved in the game for all the LA area readers but I have not been able to track it down just yet.  I will keep you updated when I find it.  I am also trying to track down which team first sang the song.