Jaybird's Jottings

New Book on the Giants

A couple of years ago, I wrote a book review on Matt Johanson and Wylie Wong’s Giants, Where Have You Gone? One of the players the authors wrote about was John Montefusco. The Count’s story struck a chord among his fans.

Johanson has now written a follow up book titled Game of My Life, San Francisco Giants. Johanson describes it as “a collection of the Giants' greatest games, including both franchise highlights and games of more personal significance to the players.”

It looks like a great book, with a mixture of stories from stars like Mays and Clark, as well as lesser-knowns such as "Dirty Al" Gallagher and Brian Dallimore.

The book can be ordered at Johanson’s web site.

Wrapping Up SABRCON

Not that my searches were exhaustive, but from what I have seen, Ryan at The Pastime wins hands down my first Best SABRCON Blogger award.

Lots of good stuff and this observation.

Today I learned two things: someone reading aloud, for thirty minutes, a paper about an obscure minor league executive from 1910 is so boring, even the guy wearing the Federal League jersey will get up and leave.

I shouldn’t laugh at one of my fellow nuts, but that is a great line, nailing several aspects of SABR and the convention!

SABR needs more younger members and it looks like they’re getting some good ones.

Thanks Ryan, for keeping me sane these past few days.

Two Giants

The left-handed Giants slugger steps up to the plate. The pitch comes in, a mighty swing, home run number 756 sails over the fence.

Warm up lines for Barry Bonds impending big moment?

Fits the bill, but it also describes what Sadaharu Oh did thirty years ago. In his autobiography, A Zen Way of Baseball, Oh (written with David Falkner) devotes a chapter to his pursuit of 756.

In 1975, his 17th season (he played his entire career with the Giants), Oh’s home run total dropped to 33, his lowest total since 1961. But he rededicated himself and hit 49 in 1976. He passed Ruth’s mark that year and ended the season with 716. Aaron retired at the end of ’76, so his 755 mark was set as the target.

Oh kept up a good pace throughout the ’77 season. As he got closer, the crush of media and fans became overwhelming. Oh said he did not handle it well at first. Fans camped out at his house, he had little private life.

Oh writes:

“Because crowds had regularly begun to gather outside my house, for example, it was no longer possible for my daughters to go out and play as ordinary children would. My wife could not go to the market, nor could we, if we wanted to, go off to a restaurant or have an evening to ourselves. We had to send out for many of our meals, and our children had to accustom themselves to indoor activities, as though imprisoned in their own house.”

On September 3rd, the Giants had two more games with the Yakult Swallows before a long road trip. Waiting in the clubhouse at Korakuen Stadium in Tokyo, Oh said he felt “drained of energy.”

In the bottom of the third, with one out and no one on, the 27-year old stepped in against the Swallows Kojiro Suziki. On a 3-2 pitch, he hit 756 to pass Aaron.

A celebration on the field ensued. Both teams lined up in front of their dugouts. Oh’s parents came on to the field and shook hands with the Giants. Oh was presented with a bouquet of flowers with 756 displayed. Then the stadium lights went off, save a single spotlight on Oh. He took his cap off, bowed and gave a small speech.

Oh went on to amass a total of 868 home runs. He has talked about how proud he was of his home run total but acknowledged that “I don’t believe I would have reached 756 if I had played in America.”

A beloved figure in Japan and a baseball legend, Oh is 67 and manages the Fukuoka Hawks. It’s hard to know exactly what he is thinking about Bonds pursuit of Aaron. He no doubt has some level of understanding and sympathy, having gone through the pressures and the things he describes in his book.

Whatever the case may be, these two Giants are about to stand together as two of the best who played in their respective leagues. As we get ready to recognize Barry Bonds for passing Hank Aaron, let’s remember Sadaharu Oh did so thirty years ago.

Small Pleasures

The Bonds Watch continued yesterday. I confess to a do’h moment (actually I expressed my anger at myself more colorfully. I used the same word I did once as a child. It made my Mom so upset, she literally cleaned out my mouth. - Ah, the things we reveal about ourselves at our blogs…)

It is still only 754, but I’m treating watching Bonds like a warm up. My method, one I have employed many times with Bonds and milestones, is to get on the computer and monitor it via Gameday. Then when Barry is up, I run into the living room and watch for ESPN to do the cut-in. (As you can see, I’m a cheapskate). (One word of warning: If you plan to do this, beware of the time delay with Gameday and such boards.)

Bonds came up in the second. Ran to the TV. ESPN had chosen not to do the cut-in (they had done so this past weekend). Then I remembered. The game is on TBS!!

Anyway, great to get to see Lincecum, the rally runs the Giants got for him and a good win to not drop the morale any lower. Seeing Frandsen’s delay steal was also cool.

Small pleasures. My new Giants motto.

Who is Blogging the SABR Convention?

Ryan at The Pastime has excellent coverage of the convention. He provides some good humor as he goes through all the stuff in the freebie bag. He also touches on the challenge of choosing between two things to see. There's so much going on at a SABR convention that this dual tracking is a necessary evil. Ryan has an excellent blog by the way, I enjoy reading it and I’m glad he’s writing about the convention. Excellent photos is a super bonus.

This article from St Louis Today hits on the point of trying to sum up what SABR is all about. SABR president Dick Beverage is quoted and what he says actually does a good job of doing that.

“Nothing in baseball is unworthy of being discussed. Even if you don't happen to be interested in it, it's important that history be told, that those statistics be developed. We create the environment where all these things take place."

Peter Morris is mentioned also. That tells me the writer did his homework. Morris has established himself as a great researcher and writer. His new book Level Playing Fields covers the Murphy Brothers, one of whom helped make the Polo Grounds a spiffy place to play and gave the McGrawmen some home field advantages. John Murphy was hailed as the best "baseball landscape gardener."

USA Today Interviews Team Bloggers

Congrats to El Lefty Malo for being selected by USA Today as part of their series of interviews with team bloggers.

He has excellent qualities one would like to see in a blogger. For example, the Nationals' blogger came across as too much of a fan. Nothing wrong with that but you need some balance. ELM has passion for the team but is also critical where needed.

SABR’s in St Louis

Stuck inside a hotel for half a week in the middle of the summer doesn’t sound like much fun for baseball fans. But for those who love the history of the game and then some, the annual SABR Convention is baseball heaven.

This year the SABR gang is meeting in St Louis. The convention began with humble beginnings in 1971 in Cooperstown. With a handful of exceptions, the convention has taken place in a major league city. With a heartland location and popular franchise, St Louis will see great attendance, and could even break the record of 712 in Boston in 2002.

Convention goers will take in sabermetric and history research presentations, talks by distinguished guest speakers, player panels, trivia contests, workshops, book expos and talking baseball with friends and colleagues old and new. Many in the group will attend one of the Cardinals games together.

I used to go to the convention but the trip got axed by my budget officer. I thought it would be interesting to see what kind of blog coverage there is. It is slow, as Wednesday night is really just arriving time and getting settled in.

Several noted bloggers like Aaron Gleeman mention they are going, but no reporting that I could find. Some will give wrap ups later on, and these have been excellent in the past.

I did find this excellent article from The Riverfront Times. It talks about “the increasing influence baseball's blogging community exerts on the sport it covers.” Armed with better and better information, baseball bloggers are being taken seriously.

One thing about SABR. This article noted "nearly 700 stat-heads will take part." Actually, a lot of members, at least from what I have seen, aren’t stat heads per se. But there is a growing legion of fans who were influenced by Bill James, and who are doing some fascinating stuff with the numbers and analysis.

Anyway, what’s cool about SABR and the convention is the way everyone checks their egos at the door, brings in their own particular passions for the game, and the sharing of it all.

And the nametags.

Scripted Sports

“If you wrote a script like this, nobody would believe it.”

Sports reporters must get a yearly quota for that phrase. And isn’t it amazing how many times it’s so true?

This past Sunday’s final round of the British Open provided a perfect example. Padraig Harrington, poised to win his first major, walked to the 18th hole with a one stroke lead. His errant tee shot bounced along the pedestrian bridge over the burn. One more hop and the ball would not have found its watery grave.

In the lead up to the tournament and many, many times during the tournament, golf fans had gotten sick of hearing about Jean Van de Velde’s nuclear meltdown at Carnoustie’s 18th hole in 1999. But when Harrington's next shot rolled into the water, there it was, all over again, fiction writers in tears.

The sporting world is not letting up this week, as one of its darkest hours plays out. It's happened before, but has there ever been a week like this one, with a star NFL quarterback facing charges of organizing dog fights, a former NBA referee under investigation for betting on games he officiated and the on-going troubles of Barry Bonds and the steroid scandal?

Juxtaposed with all this mess is Sunday’s induction ceremonies at the National Baseball Hall of Fame in Cooperstown. Coming to your emotional rescue are Cal Ripken Jr and Tony Gwynn.

The timing is amazing. Cal the Iron Man, working class hero, ambassador who helped save the big leagues not too long ago. And Gwynn, who like Ripken, played his entire career with the same team.

If it were a script…

The Game Comes Home

"The legendary stories of Washington baseball greats Walter Johnson, Joe Judge, Clark Griffith, The Homestead Grays, Mickey Vernon, Frank Howard and many others are brought to life by stories and recollections from family members, writers, sportscasters and fans. Featuring rare photographs from Mark Stang and Phil Wood's book "Nationals on Parade" and film clips & photos from the National Archives and The Library of Congress, "The Game Comes Home" is a must see documentary for all baseball fans." -The Game Comes Home

With a cozy, new ballpark rising in a fast-growing area south of the Capitol, and ownership deeply rooted in the local community, the future of baseball in Washington D.C. is a bright one. The checkered but rich history of baseball in the nation’s capital, one rarely told in its entirety, has been brightened by a two-hour documentary titled "The Game Comes, The History of Baseball in Washington, D.C." Directed by Jeff Herberger and written by Willy Meaux and renowned historian Phil Wood, the film is currently looking for a distributor.

A preview can be found at the film's website. Also be sure and check out this interview, where co-producers Meaux and Herberger talk about their research (Look for March 2, 2006).

I spoke with Meaux who described the effort as a labor of love. He is very excited to have discovered “content never seen before.” The preview shows action from the 1924 World Series, one I had not seen before.

This documentary not only takes a look at the Senators and the 19th Century major league action that took place here, but also the Homestead Grays and greats such as Josh Gibson and Buck Leonard. Meaux was particularly thrilled to uncover Negro League memorabilia and conduct extended oral histories from this aspect of baseball that thrived in Washington in its heyday. He also researched the famous tradition of the President tossing out the first ball with what sounds like some great untold stories.

The Washington Nationals first three years at RFK Stadium have been a struggle. Fans can now, however, look forward to a time soon when the new joint will be rocking. Many fans of history hope that part of that experience will include some type of visual homage to D.C.’s baseball past, including statues for Johnson and Gibson.

This documentary is something to look forward to also. I wish Meaux and his colleagues all the best in finding a way for all to see this important part of baseball history.

The British Open

The British Open is one of my favorite sporting events to watch.

I got some exposure to British golf when I was stationed in England in the mid 80s. My boss was an avid golfer who took me to some of the courses there. We attended the 1985 British Open at Sandwich. I lived in Felixstowe, a port town on the eastern coast, and played golf at the links style course there. The weather was always a factor.

The Brits just laugh at the way we have changed the game with riding carts. As avid walkers, Roberta and I have really seen it. Some of it is understandable. Some courses are designed with longer than usual distances from the greens to the tees and so a cart is necessary to keep up the pace of play. Also, in places like Arizona, you get the needed protection from the sun. But we’ve seen riders on the smaller executive courses. Bloody hell mate, put that contraption away and walk!

Saturday golf on TV is peppered with a ton of commercials. You really have to be a fan of the game to survive the constant cutting away. And what’s up with the fact that all of them seem to be about sporty cars and financial investing? Are golfers more likely to face a mid-life crisis?

Saturday is known as “moving day” on the Tour. You’re more likely to see a 64 on the third round than the final day when things get more tense. It was fun to watch Steve Stricker’s 64 yesterday that shot him up the leader board and in to second place. I kept hoping Tiger would go real low but his game is a tad off.

Colorful Sergio Garcia is the man to beat. If he can win, he’ll get that no major championships monkey off his back. Then the “Best Player Never to Win A Major” topic can have fresh arguments. It’s interesting because some of the golfers who are in that discussion are on the first two or three pages of the leaderboard - Padrick Harrington, Stewart Cink, Chris DiMarco. With low rounds today, Lee Westwood and Adam Scott could catch the attention of ABC’s producers.

Golf is a unique game. Players call penalties on themselves, you tell your opponent "good shot," you can lose a tournament by signing an incorrect scorecard and the pros don't earn a paycheck unless they make the cut. The British Open, played since 1860, stands out too. It's fun to watch it in the morning and early afternoon. When it's over, there's still plenty of time for that other sport where they try to hit the ball as far as they can.