Slightly Better than Replacement Level
Is it possible to find a book both highly valuable and cringe-inducing? I’d never come across a book worthy of that distinction until I read The New Bill James Historical Baseball Abstract. It is in equal measure one of the most important baseball books ever written and a deep look into the disturbing views of […]
Grant Johnson last played in a professional baseball game in 1914 at the age of 41. That year he put on his New York Lincoln Giants uniform for 7 games and 33 plate appearances. Dad Johnson would slash .444/.531/.519 for the independent Giants. Stealing 2 bases, walking 4 times, and hitting 2 doubles. It was […]
The Negro major leagues never played league schedules as long as what the recognized white major leagues played during the time before integration. This isn’t a bad thing, it just displays how the Negro major leagues operated differently than the white major leagues did. Usually, teams from the Negro major leagues would play longer schedules […]
Throughout the history of organized professional baseball there have been two groups of people who are marginalized more than any others. The first group is women and at some point, I’ll dig deeper into the history of women’s baseball on this site. Suffice to say, whether it’s as fans, players, coaches, or front office denizens […]
In 1952 the Pittsburgh Courier ran a poll of the best outfielders in the history of the Negro Leagues. The top three were Oscar Charleston, Monte Irvin, and Cristóbal Torriente. Coming in at fourth on the list was Pete Hill. Ask non-historians to tell you a little about Pete Hill these days and I’m guessing […]