Top 10 Burning Baseball History Q's...

[jaybird2001wi]

I have often thought about these questions regarding Major League History. These are just random questions since I am an avid baseball history person who just loves reading books on baseball history. Here are my Random Top 10 burning MLB questions...

 

1. Did Ty Cobb hate the game of baseball and his teammates more than they hated him? Or was it vice versa?

2. Throughout Major League History, has there EVER been a left-handed catcher that consistently played?

3. Was former Detroit Tiger pitcher Denny McClain really connected to the mob?

4. Why didn't the St. Louis Cardinal front office ever try to make ammends with Ozzie Smith when he disowned them following new Manager Tony LaRussa's plan to phase him out of the lineup in favor of Royce Clayton? And if they did try to make ammends, did Tony LaRussa ever admit fault as to why Smith never wants to appear as a Cardinal alumni in public?

5. When there was no ESPN or any Major national sports network prior to 1979, how did a fan in, say Kansas City or any other American League vote for proper players in the National League for the AllStar game? Was there even any television that aired prime time baseball games in that era?

6. Did Tim Raines really slide headfirst because he had vials in his backpocket?

7. What was the longest doubleheader in modern baseball history?

8. If Shoeless Joe Jackson was banned from baseball due to the 1919 BlackSox scandal, how come prior gambling issues involving Managers such as John McGraw get the "shoulder turn" by the league commissioners?

9. If Willie Mays hadn't gone to serve in the Korean War, would he have surpassed Babe Ruth?

10. When the Braves moved to Milwaukee, what happened to the minor league Milwaukee Brewers?

[mothershipconnection]

. Throughout Major League History, has there EVER been a left-handed catcher that consistently played?

 

Jack Clements played a total of 1063 games from 1884-1900. Bill James ranked him as the 58th greatest catcher of all time.

10. When the Braves moved to Milwaukee, what happened to the minor league Milwaukee Brewers?

They moved to Toledo

[Fatter than Joey]

5. When there was no ESPN or any Major national sports network prior to 1979, how did a fan in, say Kansas City or any other American League vote for proper players in the National League for the AllStar game? Was there even any television that aired prime time baseball games in that era?

 

 

 

When I was a kid I remember watching Monday Night Baseball, with Joe Garagiola on NBC and I think ABC. I remember watching Mark Fydrich pitch as a rookie and I remember watching a game where Guidry struck out like 19 Angels. In particular a guy named Ike Hampton, who I remember because his baseball card listed him as a SS/C. I think Uke even worked some of these games.

 

 

 

The other thing to keep in mind, is that people in my age group probably were watching as much of the Cubs on WGN as they were watching the Brewers. The Cubs were still playing a lot of day games at that point. Shortly thereafter the Braves showed up on WTBS.

 

 

 

I used to stay up late to listen to the Brewers post-game to follow things like George Foster's HR run, or Pete Rose's hit streak. The Sporting News was pretty critical back then, my parents bought me subscriptions and I read the boxscores each week.

 

 

 

10. When the Braves moved to Milwaukee, what happened to the minor league Milwaukee Brewers?

 

 

 

Similarly when the Rockies started up the farm team in Denver moved to N.O.

[Jimbo]

5. When there was no ESPN or any Major national sports network prior to 1979, how did a fan in, say Kansas City or any other American League vote for proper players in the National League for the AllStar game? Was there even any television that aired prime time baseball games in that era?

FTJ pretty much nails it.

NBC has its Saturday "Game Of The Week" with Joe G. and I think Ted Kubiak, which usually was a Red Sox or Dodgers game.

 

ABC had Monday Night Baseball, akin to MNF. Uke worked those games an as analyst, as his book states it allowed him to become a household name - in Menomonee Falls.

 

As for print media, I used the weekly stats in the Sunday sports section to select my All-Stars. I also had a TSN subscription, they were big back then. Still have my '82 WS issues.

 

Not sure how many markets had WGN back in the 70's. WCGV/WTBS was bigger and started making its move around 1975. WOR had the Mets, but am not sure how many markets had that station.

 

[Patrick425]

The other thing to keep in mind, is that people in my age group probably were watching as much of the Cubs on WGN as they were watching the Brewers. The Cubs were still playing a lot of day games at that point. Shortly thereafter the Braves showed up on WTBS.

I was just talking about that the other day with a friend. Cubs were on just about everyday and they were not as "hated" as they are now because they were in the other league (which is probably why I don't really have the hatred towards them that everyone else does). My friends and I used to watch them all the time along with "America's Team" (Blaaacchhh!), the Braves - "Hot Shot, Ramirez has it, Braves win." Man, I hated their conceeded announcers.

 

I use to love Monday Night Baseball and I really miss those days. We would set up the TV out on the back patio and watch the game on a warm summer night.

[JohnBriggs12]

Monday Night Baseball was very short lived. It had very little impact. Just as now, there were knowledgable fans and fans that weren't. Knowledgeable fans followed box scores and read the stats listed in every Sunday newspaper in the country. A real baseball fan subscribed to the Sporting News. In general though, voters voted by name recognition same as they do today. Big market teams had built in advantage too. The All Stars in the 60's were selected by the players. That's how it should be. Back in those days, Saturday's game of the week featured Dizzy Dean and Pee Wee Reese and more often than not featured the Yankees often vs. the Tigers. The Red Sox were not nearly as visible until Curt Gowdy (their former play by play guy) took over the national broadcast. It was different. Unless you lived in Chicago or New York, you rarely saw your team on television much less another small market team. I don't think I ever saw the Kansas City Athletics. I'm old enough to remember the Braves in Milwaukee. I vaguely remember them having a handful, maybe 8-10 locally televised road games in their later years say 62-65. Before that there was just radio. I remember one guy, Bill Mazur?, doing the games.

 

Another forgotten fact is that during the years after the Braves left town before the Brewers arrived, the Cubs had several Wisconsin TV stations as part of their network. They would show weekend Cub telecasts. I know they were on a Green Bay station but I can't remember which one. Also at one time, there was a channel 34 in Fond du Lac. I'm not sure how far beyond Fond du Lac that station could be seen, but I lived there and remember in 1969, they carried the full White Sox TV schedule with Jack Drees. That was an awful team that played in front of an empty Comiskey Park.

[bbrauch2000]

1. Did Ty Cobb hate the game of baseball and his teammates more than they hated him? Or was it vice versa?

 

 

 

Tom Stanton recently wrote a great book on the relationship between Ruth and Cobb that really gave more of a personal view on Ty Cobb and the kind of guy he was. Really a great read if you get the chance to take a look. He was actually out in Waukesha for a book reading this winter.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

To answer your question, Ty Cobb loved the game of baseball and was the most respected player in the game. So i guess the answer would be neither. The book by Al Stump was a joke and that was the book that led to the awful movie made with tommy lee jones a few years back

[Patrick425]

Back in those days, Saturday's game of the week featured Dizzy Dean and Pee Wee Reese and more often than not featured the Yankees often vs. the Tigers.

Not to nit pick, but I'm not sure Dizzy Dean was ever on any of the Saturday broadcasts. His career ended in 1942. Although the first game was televised in 1939, so maybe. Not sure when the regular Saturday TV games began?

[Fatter than Joey]

NBC has its Saturday "Game Of The Week" with Joe G. and I think Ted Kubiak

 

 

 

I think you mean Tony Kubek http://forum.brewerfan.net/images/smilies/wink.gif -- Ted Kubiak was probably still playing.

 

 

 

I was just talking about that the other day with a friend. Cubs were on just about everyday and they were not as "hated" as they are now because they were in the other league (which is probably why I don't really have the hatred towards them that everyone else does).

 

 

 

Right, WGN was on in my house growing up -- and we watched a ton of Cubs, just to watch baseball. The Cubs were definitely not hated, as many of my friends' fathers were Cubs fans. When the Braves left Milwaukee, a lot of Brave fans turned to the Cubs, as they were the closest NL team. When the Brewers showed up, many of these people stayed loyal to the NL, and probably enjoyed the better baseball the Cubs were playing as opposed to the expansion Brewers.

[JohnBriggs12]

Back in those days, Saturday's game of the week featured Dizzy Dean and Pee Wee Reese and more often than not featured the Yankees often vs. the Tigers.

Not to nit pick, but I'm not sure Dizzy Dean was ever on any of the Saturday broadcasts. His career ended in 1942. Although the first game was televised in 1939, so maybe. Not sure when the regular Saturday TV games began?

 

Dizzy Dean and Pee Wee Reese were the broadcast team Patrick, not playing. Some favorite lines I still remember from Dizzy: On just about every pitcher who came to bat Dizzy would say: "He's a pretty fair country hitter". Dizzy would also often sing his rendition of "The Wabash Cannonball".

[Patrick425]

Dizzy Dean and Pee Wee Reese were the broadcast team Patrick, not playing

Oh, duh!

 

The Cubs were definitely not hated, as many of my friends' fathers were Cubs fans. When the Braves left Milwaukee, a lot of Brave fans turned to the Cubs, as they were the closest NL team.

My Dad grew up in in Central WI in the 30's and 40's, before the Braves arrived. The only MLB team that he could pick up on the radio were the Cubs. He sat by the radio and kept score of every game. He lived and died with them (mostly died, I guess http://forum.brewerfan.net/images/smilies/tongue.gif)

 

 

[JohnBriggs12]

Back in the early 60's I believe CBS team of Dean and Reese, went up against Garagiola on NBC. Tony Kubek, a Milwaukee native by the way and starting shortstop on the Yankees, retired rather abruptly at age 30 and joined Garagiola in the booth. That was back in the day when even a Yankee could make more money doing national broadcasts than playing SS.

 

I remember there were some Cub diehards back when I was a kid and the Braves were around. A lot of old Cub fans came around to the Braves because of Andy Pafko and because those Cub teams were really, really bad. But not all old fans were Cub fans. My dad grew up a White Sox fan, became a Braves fan but still followed the Sox. I vividly remember taking car rides with the Braves on the radio. Once the Braves game ended, my dad turned the radio to the White Sox and Bob Elson. My brother, who was 12 when the Braves came to Milwaukee in 53, just reverted to following the Sox when the Braves left. He's still a Sox fan, but he's lived in Chicago for a long time. His NL team is the Brewers though.

 

Some of my friends also became Cub fans but I didn't. I hated the Cubs just as I do now. Between 66 and 70, I was a diehard A's fan because Charlie Finley at one time looked into moving the A's to Milwaukee before he moved them to Oakland. The Braves left Milwaukee because the Cub owner, Phil Wrigley, didn't want them there and recruited the bums that bought the Braves and moved them to Atlanta.