Gene Tenace!
12.03.2026 02:31
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Gene Tenace!
I have failed as a parent.
Second game of the day. Rockies vs Dodgers. Gorgeous night.
An underrated part of spring training is how quiet the ballpark is. No sound effects after every pitch. Pure serenity.
If there's media you care about, it's hard to overstate how important it is that you subscribe to it. Ad rates are garbage, and the changes to search mean fewer new folks discovering sites they didn't already visit.
Keith Hernandez
In 1979, you could slap a ten-cent decal on a nacho helmet and win a batting title.
Well, I tried. Anyone want a book inscribed to Mary? 😆
Whatever happened to the Hippocratic Oath?
Jack Lohrke is a central figure in "Season of Shattered Dreams," my book about the 1946 Spokane Indians.
Sandy Koufax, Stan Musial, Warren Spahn
Here is your periodic reminder that Stan Musial was very, very good at baseball. His career batting average against:
Sandy Koufax .342
Warren Spahn .321
Robin Roberts .384
Juan Marichal .314
Don Drysdale .324
Hoyt Wilhelm .375
This accounts for 6.1% of his career at-bats.
My cat channeling Glenn Close in The Natural.
If I were a managing editor, and my sports editor approved a headline this distasteful, that sports editor would be out of a job. www.sfchronicle.com/sports/giant...
Cover of Bloomer Girls: Women Baseball Pioneers by Debra A Shattuck
If anyone is looking to close out the year with a great read about 19th century women’s baseball, I finally read this, and LOVED it.
Obviously for the women’s baseball aspect, but also because it’s everything I want in a baseball history book. Give me all the social context!
WTF
Nabisco
In 1994, you could eat two boxes of Ritz Crackers and get Bob Gibson, Frank Robinson, or Duke Snider's autograph for five bucks.
Happy birthday!
Opening Day book
Finished my seventh book of 2026. "Opening Day," written by Pulitzer Prize-winning author Jonathan Eig, chronicles Jackie Robinson's first year in the major leagues. A terrific read.
One of my newsletter readers sent me pictures he took of an abandoned ballpark in Frederickstad, St Croix (US Virgin Islands)
Anyone know anything about this place?
With this signing the Dodgers will have everyone from their World Series roster back except Clayton Kershaw and Anthony Banda.
Those two have been replaced by Kyle Tucker and Edwin Diaz.
Many thanks to Marshall Garvey for the wonderful review of my book Big Loosh: The Unruly Life of Umpire Ron Luciano, from @univnebpress.bsky.social.
Strong work, Vince. Thank you for sharing.
Just finished this excellent book. It’s about events that occurred a century ago, but the parallels to what’s happening in our country currently are striking. Who will be our Madge Oberholtzer?
A lot of people don’t know this, but Ken Griffey Jr invented the broken hamate bone in 1996.
This might've been the most fun I've had on a podcast. It's me and Jeff Pearlman talking not only about "Moses and the Doctor" but also about the process of writing a book in general and the state of book publishing. Give it a listen: podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/l...
#Mariners projected to win 93.1 games in the initial PECOTA standings, trailing only the Dodgers (105.2 wins).
PECOTA gives the M’s a 91.5% chance to make the playoffs, 69.3% to win the AL West.
Before They Wore Dodger Blue
"This is a significant piece of baseball history, and a story brimming with figures soon to become boldface names."
—Bob Costas
(Yes, somehow I got BOB COSTAS to blurb my book.)
Bob Gibson
Bob Gibson turned Hall of Famers into Mario Mendoza. Check out these opposing batting averages (min 50 PA):
Henry Aaron .215
Roberto Clemente .208
Ernie Banks .229
Willie Mays .196
Orlando Cepeda .222
Dick Allen .211
Tony Perez .121
Johnny Bench .204
Mark Beuhrle
How much of a crapshoot is the MLB amateur draft? The second most productive player from the 1998 draft, according to WAR, was Mark Beuhrle, 38th round pick of the Chicago White Sox.
For St. Louis Cardinals fans needing a glimmer of hope for 2026 (and beyond):
Cal Raleigh's first three seasons (ages 24-26): .217/.287/.448, 59 HR, 151 RBI, 107 OPS+
Nolan Gorman's first three seasons (ages 22-24): .222/.301/.435, 60 HR, 161 RBI, 103 OPS+
