Jaybird's Jottings

A Streetcar Named Revitalize

"The city is planning a $25 million project to bring back the trolley cars that last rumbled along its streets during the Kennedy administration. The revival will begin next year with a 2-mile (3-kilometer) line in southeastern Washington that, fittingly, will pass near the Washington Nationals' new downtown ballpark, which is to open in April 2008." – Washington Trolleys Go Back on Track in Mass Transit Encore By Daniel J. Goldstein and Arena Welch

Streetcars and trolleys were once a vital part of our nation’s transportation sytem. Washington, D.C. had an extensive and at times, very modern system. Baseball fans took the electric streetcars to and fro’ Griffith Stadium.

Fans, commuters and tourists in D.C. will be happy to know the return of the streetcars to the nation’s capital is one step closer. A test line now has funding and is due to open in 2007. The streetcars will run through Anacostia, the neighborhood south of the Nationals new park. City officials are counting on them as part of an economic revitalization for the area.

It should be noted that the Bloomberg article fudges a bit. As Jacqui Dupree notes at her blog, "it's glossing over the fact that this test line is being built in Anacostia, along the east side of the river, whereas Near Southeast and the stadium are on the west side of the river."

But as she also says, the proposed M line will pass one block from the ballpark footprint.

Baseball Books 2006

2006 was an excellent year for baseball books. Our crack staff of one lists its favorites.

The Hardball Times 2007, Hardball Times staff of writers

For me, the ideal baseball book would have the following things going for it. One, it would be an annual so I could anticipate it. Two, it would be written by a team of writers, not just one. Three, the writers would have a website where you could get a feel for their writing and areas of expertise. Four, the book would have some sabermetric stats but mostly good writing covering not only on-the-field analysis but also some business of baseball and other items. Five, it would come out before the holidays rather than after them. Six, you could order it from the publisher before it hit the stores.

Thankfully, such a book exists. It is The Hardball Times and it continues to deliver the goods.

Baseball Between the Numbers by Baseball Prospectus staff

It’s kind of depressing to know that a book like this can be written. That means a lot of erroneous baseball knowledge has been passed on through the years. But that is the case and it makes a book like this required reading. The writers at Baseball Prospectus take what some of the jock announcers and conventional wisdom have been saying about baseball and see if it is true or not. I like the question and answer format and you don’t have to be stats-savvy to enjoy this book. I especially enjoy the work of Neil DeMause. Anyone who has ever moaned about what it costs to get into a big leage game should read his chapter - Do High Salaries Lead to High Ticket Prices?

FantasyLand by Sam Walker

It’s my favorite book of this year. At times, you say to yourself - Come on, Sig? Nando? Did Walker make this story up?

Before he decided to take on this project, Walker no doubt paused to think about who would read it. Fantasy players certainly, but then again maybe they would not appreciate the quixotic nature of Walker's pursuit, not to mention just how busy they would be with their own pursuit of the dream. And I’m sure he worried whether or not non-fantasy types would want to read it.

Not to worry. This book is so fun and insightful I want to read it again. Walker, who still plays in the Tout Wars League, is a great writer. You learn about fantasy's roots, its most serious players and Walker’s attempt to do well in his debut season.

Shades of Glory by Lawrence D. Hogan

Over 120 newspapers were researched to come up with “the most thorough and accurate statistics on Negro league players and games ever published.” I enjoyed the chapter on the Cuban Giants a lot.

The Echoing Green by Joshua Prager

The only criticism some have of this book is that it has a little too much detail. But if you are a lover of baseball history, that isn’t a problem, it’s a huge plus. Prager details the Giants and Dodgers 1951 pennant race, the Giants elaborate use of a telescope and system to steal signs, and the impact “The Shot” had on Thomson and Branca. His writing is excellent and his research impeccable. The Polo Grounds and that time is gone but Prager brings it back to life.

Let Me Finish by Roger Angell

The Onion wrote a good one about Angell last month, poking fun at his sentimental side. Then again, sometimes you need such a writer. This memoir does connect to his Polo Grounds days and his baseball relationship with his father. But Angell also writes about his time spent with The New Yorker magazine. A good look into the life of one of our best baseball writers.

Green Cathedrals by Phil Lowry

Has the definitive book on Major League and Negro League ballparks been written? I doubt it. Just getting the dimensions right is an exercise in futility.

Although the sub title of his book, The Ultimate Celebration, suggests that writing the definitive history of these ballparks was not his intention, Phil Lowry has provided ballparks fans with a book that can be used for reference. In some cases, Lowry provides what was located at the site before it was built and what was put there after it was torn down. A fun look at the places we love to visit and remember.

New Baseball Search Tool

Congratulations netizen. TIME magazine picks you as this year’s Person of the Year.

The not-so-hip panel at This Week didn’t like this deviation and said TIME should have stayed with tradition and named a newsmaker.

I think what TIME did is an excellent way to recognize the contributions of folks on-line. One such person is Sean Forman, who has announced The B-R PI, a fantastic new Play Index tool that searches Retrosheet data from 1957 to 2006. (Full reports are available to subscribers).

I played around with the free version a little bit. The first thing I checked was Willie McCovey versus Don Drysdale. I remember reading somewhere that Big Mac “owned” Dandy Don.

McCovey did have Drysdale’s number early on. At the end of the 1963 season, he was batting .444 against the fireballing righty. That included 10 home runs, a triple and four doubles for a 1.148 slugging percentage. McCovey also had 10 walks.

Drysdale got a measure of revenge in '64 and '65, holding Number 44 to 3 for 25. McCovey came back with 8 for 15 in '66 and 6 for 17 in '67. He couldn’t bat an eye against Drysdale in '68 going 1 for 15. The final tally was 336/437/680.

With a tool like this, the possibilities are limitless. Your only enemy is time itself.

R.J. Lesch, Jeopardy Game Two

R.J. Lesch lost on Friday night in a close one. With just a few clues left, he didn’t give the exact answer. That usually gets you a “No, sorry” from Alex. But the answer, er, question, had something like eight words in it. The judges said ok and R.J. moved into first place.

R.J. maintained his lead going into the commercial for Final Jeopardy. But when they came back, the judges had ruled in favor of precision. That put him in second place. R.J. got the Final Jeopardy answer right, doubled his earnings to something like $20,000, and gave him the lead. But the contestant he passed answered correctly and won by a dollar.

Lesch showed a lot of class, turning to the winner, smiling and applauding.

The good news is for Giants and history fans. After the break Alex had asked him about a new book he’s working on. Giants, 1911-1913.

I asked R.J. about it and he said,

“Mainly, my focus is on how McGraw built the team and how they played together day-to-day. I think it was McGraw's best managing and team-building job (although the 1916-17 club is close), and would be better remembered if they'd pulled off that 1912 series. I also go a little deeper into my favorite characters from that team (Brannick, Crandall, Doyle, Meyers) instead of dwelling on the stars, which have been written about enough.”

Will certainly look forward to that one.

New Renderings for the Nationals’ New Ballpark

I’ll never forget that spirit-lifting day. It was February ‘97, still cold here in the nation’s capital. The Giants were coming off their third consecutive sub-.500 seasons and had traded away Matt Williams, my favorite player.

Knowing how much I liked the Giants and baseball, a family member in San Francisco mailed me the February 25 issue of the Chronicle. HOK’s renderings of the Giants’ new downtown ballpark graced the front page. To say the least, I was very excited.

But in looking back at that moment, I realize my thoughts and feelings were not quite the same had I lived in San Francisco. Now, as a 12-year resident of Washington, I am experiencing community pride for the home team’s new digs. That wonderful feeling, the sense of what's to come, hit me on Friday when I looked at the new renderings of the Nationals' new ballpark. Those sentiments were shared by other Nats' fans at one of their on-line forums. Comments include “Sweet,” “incredible,” “more beautiful than I anticipated,” although not everyone agreed.

Pac Bell drew rave reviews from day one. Here things have progressed more slowly. Going back several years ago, with the whole stadium deal up in the air, the first renderings were very generic. The appeal came from the fact that fans finally had something to look at and the location, near the metro and between the river and the Capitol. Then this past March, with ownership still not announced, HOK released the first look at the glass and concrete design (the concrete will be painted to look like limestone)

My reaction was perhaps typical. On the one hand, it did seem like a good idea to move beyond the red brick and green steel look. On the other, I could see the point about too much glass.

Washington Post architecture critic Benjamin Forgey had a few good things to say but overall he was under whelmed. He did note however that “the heavy-handed color renderings presented yesterday did the design scant justice.”

The new renderings released Friday at the Nats' official site provide more detail. There’s quirkiness to the outfield areas and the cherry trees beyond the left field fence are a brilliant idea. And as one fan put it, “The park, like the monuments, will look best lit at night.”

The National’s new ballpark will never surpass gems like PNC Park and Mays' Field. They have everything going for them, including beautiful and unobstructed backdrop views.

Then again, we won't know where to place this one until it's finished. So far, the locals are beginning to get excited.

Time magazine cover piece on Juan Marichal

David Black let SABR-L readers know that Time magazine has archives available on-line back to 1923. Knowing that Time published a lengthy cover piece on Juan Marichal in the summer of 1966, I decided to test it out.

Sure enough, that June 10, 1966 article was the first search hit. Note: The front cover is not on the first page of the article. It can be found at the results page.

I highly recommend this article, one of the best I've seen on the Dominican Dandy.

SABR Member is Jeopardy Champ

Hearty congratulations are in order for R. J. Lesch, a SABR member from Iowa. In a very close game broadcast last night, he was victorious on Jeopardy.

I met and spoke with Lesch at the SABR convention in Milwaukee in 2001. He’s a fine gentleman who has written biographies on a line-up worth of New York Giants. He’s currently working on one for Eddie Brannick, the Giants traveling secretary for many years.

Way to go R.J. Good luck tonight.

Panera Bread Coming to San Francisco

I love Panera Bread, the fast-growing bakery and café chain just down the road from our house. My wife and I are regulars. We love the “You Pick Two” specials and it’s a great alternative to some of the run-of-the-mill eateries in our area.

So imagine my reaction when a friend emailed me yesterday. On a lunch time walk in San Francisco, he noticed a sign in the window at Fourth and King announcing Panera was coming there. For those of you not familiar with that address, it's one block west of where a certain team called the Giants play.

Normally I would now proceed to sing the praises of Panera - coffee, tea, pastries, fresh bread, soups and salad and, of course, Wifi!

I come to you, however, with a selfish purpose. Since I do love Panera, I want to be able to find a place there whenever we visit. So let me try and convince you dear Giants and good food fan, why you should consider not patronizing Panera Bread.

First of all, Panera Bread is a chain. And we know just how strong the anti-chain sentiment can be in the City by the Bay.

Secondly, Panera does not serve beer or alcohol.

Thirdly, the portions are rather small.

Fourthly, and most telling, is the bad publicity they are getting from a lawsuit they filed (and lost thank you very much) recently against Qdoba Mexican Grill. That’s right, California-based Qdoba. Panera had the nerve to claim that a burrito is a sandwich!

Now there are some good things about Panera. The soups and salads are good for you, the sandwiches are tasty, the ambience is comfy and the prices are reasonable.

So I leave it up to you. Just remember when you’re walking past their new place on your way to a game, think local pride. Keep on eating at one of those locally owned spots and continue to support the Giants. There's nothing like munching on those Gilroy fries and washing them down with a fresh brewed Gordon Biersch beer.

Go San Francisco!

Spring Training News

As part of my planning for an upcoming Spring Training trip this March, I noticed the Yankees have bumped up the number of night games from five last year to seven. The second most, in either Florida or Arizona, is the Dodgers who have four under the lights (7 pm start). The Red Sox have three. The other ballclubs have either none, one or two scheduled at night (not counting the games once they break camp).

I asked Kevin Reichard, author of The Complete Guide to Spring Training about this. He said,

“All the older season ticket holders I know want to see more night games. I've been told by team employees that's the #1 request. Teams in general don't like doing them because a day's workout schedule and travel is much easier with an afternoon game (remember, this is a bus league with no overnight stays!). The Yankees do them because George personally likes them. But I wouldn't see a wholesale move to more evening games.”

I'm glad to here that. I like the schedule the day games provide with the leisure morning, lunch, the game, dinner and doing whatever that night including watching March Madness hoops. And although it can get almost too hot with the sun beating down, especially in Arizona, I wonder if some of those night games might get a little cool.

It will be interesting to see where this goes. And as a reminder, if you’re going, be sure to check game times.

More Memories from Candlestick

In response to Kelly’s story about Candlestick's cold weather, I got an email reply from a Giants fan who wishes to remain anonymous. It’s another fantastic oral history about the sometimes heatless cauldron that was Candlestick.

Candlestick Memories by an anonymous, long time Giants fan.

The post linked above brought back one of my most vivid memories of my many night games at the 'Stick (8 Croixs). It was one of those miserable, wet, foggy nights with the temperature in the '40s and the wind swirling at 15 mph and gusting to 25. My duffle had a big wool blanket, expedition parka and a couple of sweatshirts (I was prepared to share with the tourists and often did). That night, I was wearing a sweatshirt and the parka, had the blanket wrapped around me up to my neck. I was still cold. It was horrendous.

So, along about the 4th or 5th inning, I see this guy coming up the aisle from the lower boxes (my seats were in row 1 of the lower reserve). He is lurching, stumbling, almost falling, grabbing at the railing, shivering violently, clearly hypothermic to the point where he's losing control of his muscles. An usher rushes over to assist him and quickly starts waving for more help from unseen others, up above. Our unhappy friend is young and burly and he's wearing gold athletic shorts with a green muscleman T-shirt that has "Green Bay Packers" blazoned boldly across the front.

Can you read between those lines?

What a schmuck. I'm still laughing at him 15 years later.

Humm Baby!