Eraseball

Who was that masked man?

Eraseball

by Jamie Jobb

Now that Cleveland has opened the floodgates, isn’t it time for more MLB clubs to follow suit? If the “Indians” can become “Guardians” … anything is possible!

In the same state of “Ohio” – which is an Iroquois word for “Large Creek” – there is Cincinnati, a fine town for certain. But its ball club has been waving two middle fingers at America the Bountiful for decades. Certainly the “Redlegs”, cross two lines … as the name disparages both “Indians” and “commies”. Not to mention the sexist reference of “legs”. How about the Cincinnati Paddlewheel?

Upriver from Cincinnati, Pittsburgh faces a similar problem. That town’s “Pirates” seem to advocate high crimes at sea. It’s time to root for The Pittsburgh Sailors! Also, in the same state the Philadelphia “Phillies” disparage both horse racing and dentistry; now let's cheer the Philadelphia Roots.

Of course, no team can claim to be more racist than the Chicago “White” Sox.  Or more embarrassed than Boston’s “Red” Sox. Maybe they should think about gloves?

Atlanta, like Cleveland, has a problem with its “Braves” — not to mention the fact that the Atlanta club stole the Florida State University “Seminoles”war chant. Unlike the MLB teams, FSU has a binding contract with their state’s tenacious tribe for use of their name and branding elements at games on campus. Atlanta has no such contract, as it is generically racist, like Cleveland.

Other nicknames in baseball also now stand for scrutiny. The New York “Yankees” disparage the South, Dixie and the Confederacy – a hat trick no other team can verify, although Toronto’s “Blue Jays” offer a crude reference to the nasty trifecta of drugs, smoky nightclubs and criminal backroom activity.

Milwaukee’s “Brewers” disparage wine-makers and members of Alcoholics Anonymous, while our own San Francisco “Giants” look down their snouts onto the heads of short people who, as Randy Newman has pointed out, have “no reason”.  Of course, the Kansas City “Royals” seem to believe they are subjects of the United Kingdom and not the country that kicked their ass.

The St. Louis “Cardinals” and San Diego “Padres” are — simply on the face of it — religiously incorrect in that they favor Catholics over Hindus, Muslims, Baptists, Evangelicals, Doubting Thomases and Wandering Jews. 

ERACEBALL

TIME-LINE:

1947-1970

(with video links)

1922 – Yankee Stadium opens. (3:53)
1936 – Rookie Joe DiMaggio goes three-for-six in his first Yankee game.
1937 – Jesse Owens wins 100 meters at Berlin Olympics. (0:44)
1941 – DiMaggio hits safely in 56-straight games, still a record. (2:51)
1947 – Jackie Robinson plays first base for Dodgers. (0:37)
1951 – DiMaggio retires from baseball at 37. (0:55)
1955 – Joseph Paul DiMaggio enters Baseball Hall of Fame.  “Enjoy the game.” (3:01)
1956 – Jackie Robinson quits baseball.  “Jackie transcends baseball.”  (4:10)
1957 – Ebbets Field demolished. (2:48)
1964 – Clay becomes Ali.  “I’m no longer a slave.”  (1:01)
1965 – Branch Rickey dies. “Baseball ignored it, now we can’t”  (2:42)
1968 – Olympic protest: Tommie Smith, John Carlos.  “I can’t eat gold medals”  (4:33)
1970 – Curt Flood’s “I am a man” letter -- 

"Can of Corn" and Other Ballyard Jargon

"Can of Corn" and Other

Off-the-Shelf Ballyard Jargon

by Jamie Jobb

"Can of Corn" is antique baseball jargon sprouting from dramatic roots.

When Mike Krukow says those words, he’s just repeating a catch-phrase ballplayers have said hundreds of times in hundreds of dugouts around the country for hundreds of years. The term is still used to describe a routine fly ball to the outfield. Any outfielder who catches a “can of corn” does so with very little effort.

The origin of the expression comes from an experience folks had in grocery stories two centuries ago. It involved actual cans of corn!

According to Major League Baseball’s Official Glossary, when 19^th century grocery store clerks needed an easy way to reach stacked canned goods in high places, they used long hooked sticks to knock them down. As the cans fell, the clerks would open their aprons and catch them -- like an outfielder catching a fly ball.

After such a “basket catch”, other nearby clerks would yell out: “Can of corn!”

It must be pointed out, however, that the most famous “basket catch” of all time – Giant center fielder Willie Mays’ over-the-shoulder grab of Vic Wertz’ 425-foot line drive in Game One of the 1954 World Series – absolutely WAS NOT a “can of corn”!

Source: http://m.mlb.com/glossary/idioms/can-of-corn

* * *

Ollie Pickering – Cleveland Blues

A Texas Leaguer

Bloops in Cleveland

by Jamie Jobb

All y’all may recall, a “Texas Leaguer” occurs in a baseball game when a batter knocks a short but lofty lob that falls between an infielder and an outfielder for a clean base hit. Y’all may also know the play is called a “bloop single” or a “blooper”.

Often, the batter is off-balance when hitting a “Texas Leaguer”, however many modern major leaguers have developed more solid-footed off-balance swings which deliver blooper base hits – consider Giants Hunter Pence, who is from Texas, and Pablo Sandoval, who is not.

The term dates back to 1901 when rookie Ollie Pickering left the Texas League to join the Cleveland Blues, who would later to be known as the Cleveland Indians. Swift afoot, Pickering was a natural-born leadoff hitter --- indeed he’s known for taking the very first at-bat in American League history. And in that first game, Ollie came to bat seven times, hitting bloop singles every dang time! That sure made an impression on Major League Baseball, I tell ya what!

Being a game long on tradition and short on active measures, baseball recognized an historic moment as it happened, and Pickering’s teammates were quick to name his hitting style after his "bush league" origins.

Source:

http://m.mlb.com/glossary/idioms/texas-leaguer