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Features

  • John McGraw’s Search for a Jewish BallplayerIn order to offset the Yankees’ surge in popularity led by Babe Ruth, McGraw wanted to land a Jewish star for his New York Giants.
  • Damon Runyon on CourageIn a surprising admission, Runyon admits that words such as “courage” and “hero” are used too loosely in sportswriting. He explains why and tells of the meaning of true heroism.
  • Double Suicide SqueezeA thrilling play, almost incomprehensible today, was used as a weapon in the Deadball Era.
  • A New Defense Against RuthThe first time a team made a radical defensive switch against a hitter. The year was 1920, and the hitter was Babe Ruth.
  • Hit by PitcherA 1913 discussion of the dangers of being hit by a pitch and baseball’s good fortune that no major leaguer had been killed by a pitch. [While a batter was killed in 1920, Ray Chapman remains the only big leaguer to be killed on a ballfield.
  • Just 36 Fans Paid to See Yanks and Athletics Play at Shibe ParkThe major league game with only 36 fans in attendance!
  • The Rookie who Beat the 1927 Yankees…Five Times!The rookie pitcher who beat the mighty 1927 Yankees five times that season!
  • Matty and the Browns: A Window Onto the AL-NL War (1901 - 1902)Steve's feature article, MATTY AND THE BROWNS: A WINDOW ONTO THE AL-NL WAR (1901-1902), has just been published in the Spring 2006 issue of Nine: A Journal of Baseball History and Culture, Vol. 14, No. 2. Click the link to read more...
  • St. Louis Hall-of-FamersWhile no pennants flew over St. Louis in the early 20 th century, there were 21 future Hall-of-Famers in a St. Louis uniform between 1900 and 1925. Click the link to see them...
  • Bio ProjectThe Bio Project is an ambitious undertaking by members of SABR, the Society for American Baseball Research. Click the link to read more...
  • Trivia Who led the AL in Slugging Percentage in 1925?
  • Sim SeriesLate in 2001, major league baseball conducted a 64-team simulation series, with whatifsports.com, to determine the greatest team of all time. Click the link to read more...