With this being the 100th year of the World Series and the team that's won more than a quarter of them, the New York Yankees, I have decided to make this a baseball summer, not only by making my first trips to Wrigley Field and Camden Yards, but to try to get through all nine DVDs of the epic documentary Baseball: A Film By Ken Burns.
Originally aired on PBS in 1994, the film is segmented into innings, covering decades of baseball history in chronological order. In the first inning, Our Game (1840s-1900), I got to hear Bob Costas and Billy Crystal wax poetic about a sport overrun with steroid use. And, get this, the first curveball was thrown in 1867 by someone named Candy Cummings. There's no mention of who threw the first splitter, but I am imaging it must have been either Dick Hammer or Jack Load.
Some other great facts I learned about 19th century baseball:
• Men who were crazy about baseball were called "bugs" or "cranks." Females who shared their passion were called "crankettes." Or, as I like to call them, ho's.
• The president of Harvard protested the use of the curveball because Harvard did not endorse the use of deception in sport. His letter was read in an ultra-pompous New England accent. I laughed my ass off.
• Hall of Famer King Kelly was a star for the Boston Beaneaters (also known as the Skid Marks) who excelled at the stolen base, sometimes stealing third by skipping across the diamond, and not touching second base, when the umpire was not looking. How fucking blind do you have to be to miss that?
• Cap Anson (.333, 97 HRs, 2076 RBI, 3418 hits) was the greatest player of his century. He was supposedly 6-0, 227 lbs., but in the film he looked like a wuss. I'm guessing his stats today would be something like this (.233, 7 HRs, 76 RBIs, gone after two seasons).
I'll be back with more baseball history lessons (and hopefully more influential players with porn names) as I get through the innings.
Other Sports Links:
CBS Sportsline's Top 10 College Football Stadiums — I wrote on this very same topic years ago for an AOL sports site and came up with the same No. 1: Texas A&M's Kyle Field. I have a love-hate relationship with college sports in rural areas. On one hand, I think it's kinda fun that Aggies fans show up by the tens of thousands for screaming practice and play radio broadcasts for their dead and buried former mascots. On the other hand I think it's an indictment on life in College Station and a bit creepy to boot.
CBS Sportsline's College Football Preseason Top 25 — Three Big East teams (for now) in the top 10? Woah. How about Florida State at 24, just below TCU?
Photos: Dirk Nowitzki and Steve Nash Hammered in Bar — Yeah, they look like drunken boobs, but who hasn't? Give these guys props for making $19 million combined this year and still partying in t-shirts. I enjoy watching the diverse and dynamic Mavs.
FOXSports.com Personals Section — Sports fan seeks online news site to deliver smart and engaging content, not this irrelevant bullshit.
Marine Who Covered Saddam's Statue's With Flag Throws Out First Pitch — Edward Chin, a 23-year-old from Brooklyn, was the faceless marine who covered Saddam's face with an America, then Iraqi, flag while I watched from the safe comfort of my office.
Ever hear of that retired Army officer who is now a major porn star going by the name of Dave Cummings? Although he didn't invent poling Juli Ashton in the keister, he's done it......a lot....so he should get some kind of credit for throwing the Army a curveball.
Posted by JC at July 14, 2003 10:10 AM