The Bill James Guide To Baseball Managers

The complete title of this book is: “The Bill James Guide to Baseball Managers from 1870 to Today”. Bill James is the author. This book was published in 1997.

I was reading a book titled “How Bill James Changed Our View of Baseball”, and there was a quote to the effect that if Bill James wrote a book about peanut butter, he (the speaker) would buy it.

That statement prompted me to seek out books written by Bill James, which led me to this one. And now I can say: Bill James has written a book about Baseball Managers and we all should read it!

As Dan Gutman of Newsday is quoted on the back cover: ”He’s proven that he knows more about baseball than anybody in the whole world”.

Also on the back cover is this observation (from the book) by Dick Young about Leo Durocher: “You and Durocher are on a raft. A wave comes and knocks him into the ocean. You dive in and save his life. A shark comes and takes your leg. Next day, you and Leo start out even.”

Bill James’ bio on the inside back jacket cover includes the following items: “From 1977 through 1988 James wrote and edited ‘The Baseball Abstract’; from 1990 to 1992, ‘The Baseball Book’. His other books include ‘This Time Let’s Not Eat the Bones’, ‘Whatever Happened to the Hall of Fame’, and the ‘Historical Baseball Abstract’, winner of the Casey Award as the best baseball book of 1986.”

In introducing this book Mr. James observes: “A manager is not someone who excels; a manager is someone who copes. I’ll manage somehow.”

His introduction continues: “There is one indispensable quality of a baseball manager: the manager must be able to command the respect of his players. This is absolute; everything else is negotiable.”

The introduction also includes: “Managers are fascinating people. Of the twenty-five greatest managers of all time, at least eighteen were alcoholics. Is this a coincidence, or is there a reason for it? Should we, in looking to hire a manager, make sure he has Betty Ford on his resume?”

The chapters of this Guide to Managers are arranged decade by decade. Here are a few of the decades and the managers profiled within:
- 1930s: Stengel and Southworth
- 1940s: Leo Durocher, Jolly Cholly Grimm
- 1950s: Casey Stengel, Paul Richards, Al Lopez, Fred Haney
- 1960s: Walter Alston, Bill Adair, Joe Adcock
- 1970s: Sparky Anderson, Earl Weaver
- 1980s: Whitey Herzog, Tommy Lasorda
- 1990s: Bobby Cox, Lou Piniella, Tony LaRussa

Here are some of my favorite quotes from the book:

- “The most important question that a manager asks is ‘What needs to be changed around here?’ Any manager, over time, loses the ability to see what needs to be changed.”

- “Almost any manager, when a pitcher gives him a big season, will make a commitment to that pitcher. If he has a couple of bad starts, the manager will say ‘It’s just a couple of bad starts; he’ll get it turned around.’ If he has another bad start, the manager will say, ‘Well, we need him to pitch well if we’re going to contend.’ Then he’ll have a good start or two, and the first thing you know, he’s 5-13, and you’re out of the race.”

- “Stengel didn’t do that. With Stengel, unless you were Vic Raschi or Whitey Ford, you were only as good as your last start. And that was a large part of why he was able to stay on top, year after year, in a way that few other managers ever have. It’s not that he wasn’t ‘loyal’ to his players, but his idea of loyalty wasn’t ‘Joe helped me win the pennant last year, so I owe it to him to let him work through his problems.’ It was ‘These boys are trying to win. I owe it to them to do everything possible to help them win’.”

- “A famous Stengel quote occurred when Casey was asked by a reporter why he had used three pinch hitters in the first three innings of one game. ‘Whaddaya want me to do,’ he asked. ‘Sit there and lose?’”

- “Both Richards and Lopez were ‘defense first’ managers. Lopez once said that all a team really needed was pitching and defense, because if you didn’t allow the other team to score, eventually they would give you a run, and you’d win the game. Richards was less extreme in this regard.”

- “As anyone who has been around athletes ought to know, the most difficult years of an athlete’s life are the years when he is coming to grips with the fact that his skills have gotten away from him. By loading his roster with players at that stage of their careers, Haney virtually guaranteed an unhappy clubhouse.”

- “We know this already, but it is worth noting: In hiring a manager, look for someone who is ‘secure’ and ‘positive’.”

- “He looked for an attitude, a willingness to get it done. When a player lost that edge, that fearlessness, that love of risk, he lost his value, and then his manager had a problem. If the manager faced that problem head-on, there would be conflict. If he didn’t, there would be mediocrity.”

- “What do you put on the back of a manager’s baseball card?”

The Bill James Guide to Baseball Managers contains a lot of discussion about topics I wasn’t expecting to see here, including “the definitive history of the sacrifice bunt”, and “fundamental analyses of the several billion options available to a manager setting a batting order”, among other things.

I enjoyed reading this book. It was both entertaining and informative. I do believe that Bill James could make a book about peanut butter be fun and educational, yet somehow relevant to baseball.

I recommend “The Bill James Guide to Baseball Managers from 1870 to Today” to anyone with an interest in baseball &/or good writing. It’s too bad that the analyses only go up to the mid 1990s. But after reading about the earlier decades the reader can supply his own ending.

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Game 128: All’s Well That Ends Well

Before we get to the recap of tonight’s game, let me express my feelings about Derrek Lee In The Rearview Mirror: “I will try to remember the good times, but it’s been over for a while now.”

Moving right along: Wednesday’s game (#128) was the final meeting of the 2010 season between the Cubs and the Nationals.  The two teams seemed pretty evenly matched at the git go.

Jason Marquis balked early in the game, and the Cubs returned the favor in the late innings.

Blake DeWitt, Starlin Castro & Micah Hoffpauir teamed up to create an outstanding  4-6-3 double play in the first inning.

Ryan Dempster and Jason Marquis took their scoreless pitcher’s duel into the eighth inning.  Mr. Dempster allowed only 2 hits (and no runs) through seven innings.

Colvin & Castro (“The C.C. Riders”) worked together to score the 1st run of the game in the top of the 8th inning.  Tyler Colvin (pinch hitting for Ryan Dempster) drew a walk and Starlin Castro doubled him in.  Aramis Ramirez drove Castro in with a two run homer.  Alfonso Soriano added a solo shot in the 9th.

Andrew Cashner and Carlos Marmol maintained the shut out through the 8th and 9th innings.  The Cubs won 4-0 and completed the three game sweep of the Nationals in D.C.

With this victory Mike Quade improved his record to 3-0 as a Major League manager, and the Cubs are back up to 20 games below .500.

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Book Review: Coach

The complete title of this book is: “Coach – Lessons on the Game of Life”. The author is Michael Lewis. It was published in 2005.

Michael Lewis, you may remember, is the author of “Moneyball” and “The Blind Side” among other titles.

I have to admit, I have not, as yet, read the book. Instead I listened to the audiobook version, “Read by the Author”.

As Mr. Lewis explains it in this book he, as a 43 year old, looks back at a man who changed his life. That man, Billy Fitzgerald (aka “Coach Fitz”), was his baseball coach back when he, the author, was a 14 year old boy “who could pass for 12 years old”.

The action in “Coach” takes place in New Orleans, where Michael Lewis went to school, and where a somewhat unusual situation is occurring. Former students (and their parents) think the world of Coach Fitz. But many parents of current students want Coach Fitz fired.

The collective memory of students seems to be: “Fitz changed my life”.

On the back cover of the CD jewel case are printed these words:
- “The coach’s message was not simply about winning, but about self-respect, sacrifice, courage, and endurance. In some ways, and even now, thirty years later, Lewis still finds himself trying to measure up to what Coach Fitz expected of him.”

Names with which you may be familiar, who are mentioned, quoted, or referenced in this book include:
- Sean Tuohy
- “Pistol Pete” Maravich
- Rusty Staub
- Lou Piniella
- Rollie Fingers
- Catfish Hunter
- Peyton Manning
- Archie Manning
- Aesop
- Mark Twain

Here are some of my favorite quotes from the book:

- “There were the written rules, and there were the rules.”

- “Success, to Fitz, was a process.”

- “Privilege Corrupts”

- “All this is about a false sense of self-esteem.”

- “What’s fun to you is death to me.”

- “He was teaching us how to cope with the two greatest enemies of a well-lived life: fear and failure.”

- “You never give up on a team, just like you never give up on a kid.”

There are some names in my life who had an effect on me similar to that of Coach Fitz in the life of Michael Lewis. Each deserves a story all his own, but for now I’ll simply list the names here in chronological order of their appearance in my life:

- Mr. Terrance Willison

- Coach Sam Brunswick

- Coach “Crazy Ed” Mitchell

- “Coach” Dobrath

- Coach Herb Hassenburg

- Coach Jack Rapper

- Sensei Shojiro Sugiyama

Listening to the audiobook was very easy and I recommend it to everyone. It consists on one (1) CD, one hour in length. Because the audiobook is so short, I was able to listen to it a number of times.

Nowhere on the CD cover does the word “unabridged” appear, so it is possible that the audiobook leaves out some segments of the printed version. On the other hand, the audiobook is read by Mr. Michael Lewis himself, so that adds its own cachet.

I recommend the book “Coach” by Michael Lewis very highly to anyone and everyone. I enjoyed listening to it. I’m sure that either the audio or printed version will prove to be worth your while.

This recommendation does not apply only to boys, nor does it apply only to jocks.

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Game 119: Like A Sharp Stick In The Eye!!

Thank you, lizzie, for the kind introduction.

This is my weekly recap of a Cubs game, specifically the Monday night game against the San Diego Padres, but before we get into that I have to say a few words about yesterday’s game against the Cardinals.

The first lesson which yesterday’s game demonstrated is that it is better to be ahead 9-2, than to be trailing 9-2.

Secondly,  I heard analysts bemoaning the fact that the Cubs “almost lost” the game in the ninth inning, that the Cardinals “almost came back” late in the game.  Here’s my point:  “Almost” only counts in horseshoes and hand grenades (and, I’m told, in thermonuclear devices).

Thirdly, have you noticed that the Cubs seem to beat the Cardinals, while, counterintuitively, they lose to the Pirates?  I guess it all sort of evens out.

Lastly, regarding DLee’s sore lower back.  Setting aside, for the moment, any personal feelings about Mr. Lee’s performance (at times)  during the past two seasons, let me say that I’ve lived with back issues, and I wouldn’t wish backaches on anyone.  Get well soon big guy.

Now, let’s recap the Monday night game against the San Diego Padres.  For purposes of this recap I’m going to assume the persona of “Mr. Expert On Everything” (my alter ego).

I have to tell you that watching this game was better than putting a sharp stick in my eye, but not much better.

The Cubs started off pretty good, but eventually they reverted to their default setting which resembles a slow spiral descent into hell.

On the offensive side, the first two Cubs batters got hits, resulting in runners on 2nd and 3rd with no outs.  Somehow they managed to score no runs while leaving the bases loaded.  Amazing!

Tom Gorzelanny pitched a true quality start.  He had a no hitter through three innings, and a shutout through four innings.  Justin Berg was warming up in the 6th, because it was obvious that Mr. Gorzelanny was out of gas.

But Gorz got out of the 6th inning without too much damage.  After 6 innings he had given up 2 runs, 6 hits, 3 walks & 2 strikeouts.  Like I said, a “quality start”.

My jaw dropped when, inexplicably, Gorzelanny came out to pitch the 7th.  I actually made a note at that time: “This will not end well!”.

Before we move ahead to the later innings, let me say that Darwin Barney made a really nice relay throw to home plate in the top of the fifth.  At the same time, I feel compelled to point out that Alfonso Soriano was his usual self in the field and on the bases tonight.

Earlier today I was reading some football analysis by Peter King, who quoted a coach saying: “They don’t play better just because you pay ‘em more money.”  Case in point, Alfonso Soriano.

In the eighth inning Alfonso drove a ball against the wall in right center, for what I thought was a sure triple.  But, with his superior base running skills, Mr. Soriano turned a sure triple into a stand up double.

I don’t want to describe the 7th, 8th & 9th innings in great detail, because we all know the drill.  The Cubs bullpen is a work in progress, and there you have it.  I will say that LHP James Russell struck out the side in the top of the 9th.  (Unfortunately, the Padres managed to score 2 runs on a single, a walk and a triple in between the 3 Ks.)

I want to congratulate Padres shortstop Miguel Tejada on a stellar performance this evening.  Four hits in five plate appearances, with a double and three singles, two RBIs and two runs scored.

And I especially dig Darwin Barney’s exaggerated gum chewing when he’s at the plate.

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Game 113: Victory At China Basin

The Cubs lost a game in extra innings last night (Monday, August 9th), but I was impressed.  As a team, they played well.  And as a team, they were managed well.

Tonight’s performance (Tuesday, August 10th) was also impressive.  The San Francisco Giants fell to the mighty Chicago Cubs, 8-6, at AT&T Park in China Basin.  As a team, the Cubs played well.  And, as a team, they were managed well.

Oh, there were plenty of defensive miscues, and  Aramis’ TOOTBLAN in the fifth inning was fairly indefensible, but when you win all that other stuff tends to fall by the wayside.

The Cubs lineup was perfectly balanced (lefty, righty, lefty, righty, etc.), which worked out nicely.  They scored four runs in the top of the first, and they scored two more in the top of fourth.  Two time Cy Young Award Winner Tim Lincecum was lifted for a pinch batter in the bottom of the fourth.  That ain’t chopped liver.

Tyler Colvin and Starlin Castro each singled, stole a base and scored in the first inning.  Also in the first inning, Aramis had an RBI single and Kosuke hit a two-run shot over the right field wall into the drink.  Starlin Castro had three RBIs for the evening.  Mike Fontenot pinch hit in the eighth and knocked a two-run double into right field.

Cardiac Carlos Marmol made things interesting in the bottom of the ninth, allowing two runs on four hits, before he shut things down.

Yes, I enjoyed this game.  I like the way the Cubs are playing right now.

A note for the insomniacs:  The Perseid Meteor Shower will be peaking tomorrow (Wednesday) and Thursday nights.  Those who know are anticipating 50-100 shooting stars per hour on those two nights.

It is recommended that you go outside someplace where it’s DARK, lie down and look up into the sky.  I wouldn’t miss it.

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Close, But No Cigar!

The Cubs came close today.  Close, but no cigar.

Randy Wells pitched a quality start.  Through seven innings he gave up only 1 run on 3 hits.  Kosuke Fukudome was the lead off hitter today.  He had a double and 3 walks, and scored a run.

Randy Wells had been pitching well through seven, but in the eighth he gave up a home run, a single (which later scored) and a walk before being pulled.

In presenting my thoughts from this game I’m going to use a device which was featured on the Blue Collar Comedy Tour.  That feature is called: “I BELIEVE!!”.  (Cue hokey guitar playing…)

• I BELIEVE…there is still hope because John Grabow is expected back in about 9 days.

• I BELIEVE…the Cubs are contenders right now….They are contending for the title of “Doormat Of The National League”.

• I BELIEVE…I would like to see instant replay used to “correct” incorrect calls, such as Starlin Castro’s 1st inning hit/out.

• I BELIEVE…Koyie Hill would be a useful addition to the Cubs front office, to help with player evaluation, etc.

• I BELIEVE…Blake DeWitt is a good addition to the Cubs roster.

• I BELIEVE…Marlon Byrd was TOOTBLANed in the 2nd inning.  Not heads-up base running.

-  I BELIEVE…Ramon Hernandez returned the favor, being TOOTBLANed in the top of the 3rd on a great play by Kosuke Fukudome.

-  I BELIEVE…the Cubs should be able to plug someone into the 3 hole with a batting average above .249.

• I BELIEVE…the Cubs should be able to plug someone into the 4 hole with a batting average above .223.

• I BELIEVE…Ron Howard is a wonderful person.  Opie Taylor and Richie Cunningham were wonderful TV roles.  But I really don’t need a half hour commercial message every game.  The 7th inning stretch ”event” is getting weaker and weaker.

• I BELIEVE…Carlos Marmol pitched the ninth.  Maybe he should’ve pitched the eighth.

• I BELIEVE…it was Dusty Baker who once said: “The eighth inning can be more important than the ninth.”

Entering the bottom of the ninth inning the Cubs were down 4-1.  After drawing 3 walks, the Cubs had the bases loaded with the tying run (Kosuke Fukudome) on 1st, and the winning run (Starlin Castro) at the plate with one out.

Starlin was hit by a pitched ball, scoring the Cubs second run, and moving the tying run to second and putting the winning run on first with still only one out and the meaty middle of the Cubs batting order due up.

DLee grounded a double play ball to the third baseman which would have ended the game, but fortunately, the ball was foul (by inches).  DLee subsequently struck out.

Aramis drew a walk, forcing in the Cubs 3rd run of the game, putting the tying run on third and the winning run on second with the bases loaded and 2 out.  Marlon Byrd struck out, swinging.

Final score: Reds 4, Cubs 3.

Close, but no cigar.

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Book Review: Forever Blue

There has been a lot of speculation lately concerning the Ricketts family: they should do this and they shouldn’t do that; they should have done this and they shouldn’t have done that; they better do this and they better not do that; etc. What follows is my review of a book dealing with the ownership of a Major League Baseball Franchise, in this case the Brooklyn/Los Angeles Dodgers. Many of the challenges which confronted Walter O’Malley parallel those which the Ricketts family now face.
The complete title of this book is “Forever Blue – The True Story of Walter O’Malley, Baseball’s Most Controversial Owner, and the Dodgers of Brooklyn and Los Angeles”. It was published in 2009. The author is Michael D’Antonio. Among his awards is the Pulitzer Prize, which he shared with a team of reporters for Newsday.

The thing about this book, is that it is definitely about one man, Walter O’Malley, but it is also about the game of baseball, American history over the past 100 years or so, and about baseball as a business. As such, there are many parallels between the Dodgers and other Major League Baseball teams, and other businesses in general. There are also parallels between Mr. O’Malley and other baseball owners.
The author describes how the Dodgers went from being one of the absolutely worst baseball teams in the world, to being one of the best. There is also a step by step description of the events leading up to the movement of baseball teams from the original Northeastern locations to the current situation of teams being fanned out across the United States (and Canada). Specifically, Mr. D’Antonio details the movement of the Brooklyn Dodgers to Los Angeles, and to a lesser degree, he details the simultaneous move of the NY Giants to
San Francisco.

The author points out that “In a country with no national church, baseball had become a secular religion”. Professional baseball has long enjoyed a special status, as evidenced by the rhetoric of the groundbreaking ceremony at Ebbets Field: “Borough president Alfred E. Steers talked about the great players of the past – in this case the 1870s – as if they were gods and elevated the team from its status as an athletic squad and business to make it an emblem of the community’s identity and aspirations.”

The love of Brooklyn for its team is shown in this observation regarding a champion heckler called Abie the Milkman: “…while Abie had the right to criticize, because he obviously loved the team, cracks from outsiders were not tolerated.”

We learn that Brooklyn in 1939 boasted the largest population of NY City’s boroughs, 2.8 million, and “would have been the second-largest city in America, were it still independent”. Also, “The streets of Brooklyn stitched together what once was a region of twenty-five villages, each with its churches and shops, and remained a collection of communities with strong identities”.

An interesting story involves the description of Walter O’Malley’s purchase of Branch Rickey’s 1/3 ownership of the Brooklyn Dodgers for $1,000,000 (with a $50,000 “convenience fee” also paid to Mr. Rickey). Afterwards, Mr. O’Malley described the ramifications of this buyout to a reporter: “You may be sure that for the next seven or eight years Mr. Rickey will be credited with the victories of the Brooklyn ball club and that its losses will be charged to somebody else.”

A grim reality which confronted Walter O’Malley as he took over the Dodgers is described thusly: “Victory had done a strange thing to the Dodgers and Brooklyn. O’Malley sensed it in the stands and saw it at the admissions gate. In 1950 the team had almost won the pennant for the second time in a row, but home attendance plummeted by almost 350,000. And it wasn’t just the numbers that were down. Some of the love seemed to be missing too. ‘Now they’re on us when we lose,’ said O’Malley. ‘There isn’t that same deep affection.’ Winning had taken away a bit of the mystique that made the players beloved when they were Bums.”

Mr. D’Antonio describes the Dodgers’ Spring training site (“Dodgertown”) at Vero Beach, Florida, in 1951, and the new rules (“O’Malley Rules”) which the franchise was now operating under.

We are introduced to an elaborate sign stealing system which the NY Giants had used to their advantage.

There is a description of negotiations between O’Malley and Philip K. Wrigley leading up to the Dodgers’ move to Los Angeles. One-year contracts were O’Malley’s standard, and we learn some of the advantages and disadvantages of that strategy.

Furthermore, “O’Malley’s other negotiating standard evolved slowly and was more a matter of temperament than stated policy. As those who challenged him would discover, he didn’t like to be pressured. He would call a bluff every time.” The esteem which the powerful Robert Moses held for Brooklyn is hinted at in the following observation: “Robert Moses would…declare that the borough was a ‘strange’ place that lacked adequate leaders and depended on a baseball team for its sense of well-being.”

The different social statures occupied by the Yankees and Dodgers is touched upon: “Yes, the Yankees played in the Bronx, but they really represented Manhattan and all its intimidating power and sophistication. The Dodgers stood for everyone else.”

At one point in the book, the Cincinnati baseball team is called “The Redlegs” (vs. “The Reds”). I have noticed that there are very few references to “The Redlegs” these days, although that was their name when I was growing up. What happened? Did I miss a memo on that?

As the dominoes fell leading up to the Dodgers move from Brooklyn, O’Malley pushed hard for the creation of the Sports Center Authority, he shifted the team to New Jersey for some games, and: “Finally, to demonstrate his seriousness, he sold his property in Montreal and openly offered Ebbets Field for sale.”

Here are some of my favorite quotes from the book:
- “And whether it made sense or not, thousands if not millions of people experienced personal highs and lows as if what happened on the field were actually happening to them in real life.”
- “Only half the lies they tell about the Irish are true.”
- “But in fact Steinbrenner studied the Dodgers operation intently and regarded O’Malley as ‘the recognized master’.”

I enjoyed reading “Forever Blue” very much. The lessons included herein carryover to other teams and other circumstances. I recommend Michael D’Antonio’s “Forever Blue”, particularly to anyone with an interest in the business end of the game of baseball.

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Book Review: Chicago- Baseball In The City

My dad (“The World’s Greatest Living Cubs Fan”) spent the Fourth of July with me at my home. Watching the Cubs game was a red letter item on the day’s agenda. My dad dozed off a couple of times during the game. Afterwords, my brother-in-law observed: “Now I know how you can stand to watch the Cubs every day – you sleep through most of it!”

Later, I told my dad that I was sorry his Cubbies didn’t win the game (they lost 14-3). He laughed and said “Oh heck – I don’t let it get me down. As soon as the game ends, I forget about it.” Words to live by, from The World’s Greatest Living Cubs Fan. And now, on to the book review.

The complete title of this book is: “Chicago: Baseball in the City”. It is written by Derek Gentile, with foreword by Studs Terkel. It was published in 2006. This, is a coffee table book. It is oversized and it contains many large photographs.

When I saw the cover (which, by the way, features the Cubs colors of red, white and blue), I thought this book was going to be about the Cubs and Sox. As it turns out, it is about those 2 teams, but it’s about a whole lot more, too.

The foreword is by the late Studs Terkel, who came to Chicago from NYC and who was a White Sox fan. As the late Mr. Terkel explains it: “I was a Giants fan as a kid, so I couldn’t be a Cubs fan…” That is an explanation which I can understand.

The book is arranged into three sections:
- The Leagues and The Teams;
- The Places; and
- The People.

Following the Foreword and a short Introduction, the body of the book itself opens with a decade by decade review of the Chicago Cubs, followed by a similar review of the Chicago White Sox. This stuff is required reading for everyone interested in the history of professional baseball in Chicago.

“The Leagues and The Teams” section continues with essays on:
- Little League in Chicago (in which I once participated),
- The Federal League and The Chicago Whales (which resulted in the construction of what is now known as Wrigley Field),
- The Negro Leagues (very informative) , and
- The All-American Girls Professional Baseball League (immortalized in the movie ”A League of Their Own”).

Section 2, titled “The Places”, contains photos and text about
- the Home of the Chicago Cubs (Wrigley Field) and about
- the Homes of the White Sox, (Comiskey Park I and II, and US Cellular Field).

Inexplicably, Section 2 (The Places) also contains:
- “The Top 10 Most Dramatic Moments in Chicago Baseball History “, and
- “The Top 10 Most Disappointing Moments in Chicago Baseball History”.

Section 3, (The People) begins with a presentation of All-Time All-Stars, position by position, of the Cubs, and then of the White Sox. These listings, like the opening decade by decade team reviews, are required reading for anyone interested in the history of Major League baseball in Chicago.

Next up are 2 compilations titled “Hometown Heroes”, which are about ballplayers who were originally from Chicago. The first group are Minor League players from Chicago, and the second grouping are the more familiar Major Leaguers from Chicago.

The last 2 chapters of the book are about “The Broadcasters” and ”The Fans”.
- “The Broadcasters” contains familiar names and faces. Familiar to locals, that is.
- And as the book says about “The Fans”: “For more than a hundred years, Chicago fans have had a simple choice: Cubs or Sox. You don’t get to pick both. There are no diplomats in foxholes.”

There are many, many large historical photographs included in this book, most of which I had not seen before.
I enjoyed looking through and reading “Chicago – Baseball in the City”. It really is a kind of a family photo album, with detailed explanations. Being a fourth generation Chicagoan, this illustrated look back through time was particularly pleasing to me.

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Game 85: Dust My Broom

First Star – Andrew Cashner (.173 WPA)
Second Star – Starlin Castro (.169 WPA)
Third Star – Stephen Drew (.169 WPA)

The Cubbies completed a sweep of the Arizona Diamondbacks last night, taking the third game in as many days.  The final score was 8-3.

Ryan Dempster got into trouble early in this one, giving up 3 hits in the second inning and a walk and a hit in the third, although allowing no runs to score.

Edwin Jackson, who actually pitched a no-hitter two starts ago, no-hit the Cubs through the first three innings.

The Cubs broke up the no-hitter in the top of the 4th.  Our Cubbies scored three runs on four consecutive hits (the second of those was an RBI double by Marlon Byrd), a walk, and a well executed safety squeeze sacrifice bunt by Ryan Dempster.

The Cubbies held onto that 3 run lead for about five minutes.

In the bottom of the 4th, Mr. Dempster gave up 4 hits (one for extra bases) and hit a batter as the Diamondbacks tied the score at 3 all.

The Cubs offense roared back in the top of the fifth, scoring two runs on three hits and a hit batsman of their own.  That ended the scoring until the top of the ninth inning.  I wasn’t so sure about the decision to let Ryan Dempster bat in the 5th with the bases loaded and two out but, in retrospect, all’s well that ends well.

Meanwhile, Cubs relievers James Russell, Andrew Cashner, Sean Marshall & Justin Berg looked very good.

In the top of the ninth, against D’backs closer Chad Qualls, the Cubs opened the inning with two singles.  One out later Aramis Ramirez put the game away with a three run blast into the left field bleachers.  That was the second hit of the game for Mr. Ramirez, and I have to say he looked good at the plate last night.

With this win the Cubs assumed sole possession of third place in the NL Central, moving ahead of the Brewers who lost their game to the SF Giants last night.

On to Chavez Ravine!

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Book Review: The Complete Game

The title of this book is: “The Complete Game : Reflections on Baseball, Pitching, and Life on the Mound”. It was written by Ron Darling (with Daniel Paisner), and was published in 2009. If I had known that Ron Darling spent most of his career with the Mets, I probably
wouldn’t have even picked up this book. It’s a good book, and I’m glad I read it, but I know next to nothing about the Mets and their players, and I like it that way.

Ron Darling was born in Honolulu, Hawaii (my second home), and was another “Ivy League student-athlete” (having attended Yale University). Daniel Paisner has collaborated with dozens of athletes, actors, politicians, and business leaders on their autobiographies and memoirs. The inside front jacket cover states: “Darling takes us inside the pitcher’s mind, illuminating the subtler aspects of the game and providing a deeper appreciation of what happens on the field”. And that is exactly what this book is about. What went on inside
Mr. Darling’s head at various points in his pitching career. The author describes his relationship with Al Jackson, his pitching coach at Tidewater, who “got me to recognize that baseball might have been a game before, but now it was also my job”. Mr. Darling also credits Al Jackson with changing him “from a fun-loving kid thinking, ‘Great, I’m making money, playing pro ball, traveling around’, to a professional athlete….He’d say, ‘What the hell do you have to be content about? You haven’t done anything. You haven’t struggled.’”
He continues: “One of the most important things Al taught me was to think about each outing as having a beginning and an end. There’s no starting slow, or ending slow. There’s only starting out at full force and finishing strong.” In the chapter titled “Getting Started”, the author states: “All my life, I’d been a baseball fan, but I hadn’t really followed major league baseball since I’d started college….I knew
my baseball history, but I fell short on my baseball present.” In describing pitching coach Dave Duncan’s way with pitchers, Ron Darling says: “As a former catcher, he was cut a little differently than most pitching coaches. He knew his stuff, but he wasn’t quite a brother-in-arms. He was more like a cousin. He could empathize with his pitchers, but he wouldn’t sympathize. He was one of the best at trying to lighten a dark mood….”

In that same chapter, titled “Dealing with Adversity”, Mr. Darling describes manager Davey Johnson’s approach, including “the gentle, fatherly tone of his voice”. Then he adds: “I nodded, hoping Davey was nearly through, but he had one more point he wanted to make….’I suggest you start getting some outs so you don’t ruin the back of your baseball card’.” Immediately the author conducts us on a journey through his thoughts: “I set it up in my head like the most meaningful inning of my baseball life…. At this level, every inning was the most meaningful inning. Every batter. Every pitch. That’s what makes us professionals.”

Later in the book Mr. Darling returns to the subject of pitching coach Dave Duncan’s approach towards pitchers in general and towards himself, Ron Darling, in particular: “…you can’t go at it like you used to and think you’re going to get people out…. We don’t want you to get twenty-seven outs a game. We don’t want you to get twenty-four outs a game. But we’re gonna get you to where you can get us eighteen or twenty-one outs and put us in a position to win.”

Here are a few of my favorite quotes from the book:

• “Joe Torre says he judges his relievers by their ability to retire the first batter they face.”
• “You throw balls over the plate early so you never have to throw the ball over the plate again in the at-bat. That’s the idea.”
• “Major league baseball players don’t pussyfoot around. If you’re stinking up the joint, your teammates will tell you…”
• “… it’s tough to win when you’re expecting to lose.”
• “Back then, there were usually only two relievers on most staffs who could pitch worth a damn.”
• “Relief pitchers are asked to do less, but at the same time, what they’re being asked to do matters more.”
• “… someone must have thought it might be helpful to have another veteran arm on the staff – even if it hung from the shoulder of a guy who could no longer get major league hitters out with anything resembling consistency.”
• “Listen to me…. As a human being, I care. But as your manager, you’ve got to start winning some f**king games. This is ridiculous.”

In “The Complete Game”, Ron Darling conveys his thoughts and feelings, at each stage of his career, very clearly. His descriptions of those innermost feelings and thoughts, particularly towards the end of his playing career, resonated with me. I’ve been there. I enjoyed reading this book. The author is “a smart guy” (a line he always hated hearing), and he has written an intelligent and coherent book. I recommend it highly.

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Game 84: Half And Half

First Star – Aramis Ramirez (.292 WPA)
Second Star – Carlos Marmol (.200 WPA)
Third Star – Kelly Johnson (.195 WPA)

I say half & half because the first half of this game was a classic pitcher’s duel, and the second half was a slugfest.

During the first five innings Diamondbacks pitcher Barry Enright held the Cubs to no runs on three hits.  In his second major league start, and the first home start of his career, Mr. Enright was very impressive the first two times through the Cubs lineup.

During those same first 5 innings Cubs Ace Carlos Silva held the Diamondbacks to one run on three hits.

In preparing to face a right handed starter, Lou ran out a left handed heavy lineup: he started Kosuke Fukudome and Tyler Colvin.

Meanwhile the Diamondbacks, in preparing to face a right handed starter, started five lefties.  Interestingly, three of those five lefties (Kelly Johnson, Miguel Montero, and Stephen Drew) bat lefty but throw righty.

The Cubs bats woke up in the top of the sixth inning.  Kosuke led off the inning with a four bagger to center field, tying the game 1-1.  Ryan Theriot followed with a double to center, but was thrown out trying to stretch his double into a triple.

DLee followed Theriot’s double with a double of his own, also to center field.  With one out ARam slugged a two run homer to left center as the Cubs took a 3-1 lead.

The Diamondbacks got one run back in the bottom of the sixth on a homer to center field by Kelly Johnson.

The Cubs scored their fourth run in the top of the seventh.  Soto singled to center field with one out and took second and then third on two wild pitches by reliever Sam Demel.  With two outs Theriot singled to center, scoring Soto from third.

The Diamondbacks brought in Aaron Heilman to pitch in the top of the eighth.  I love Aaron Heilman.  Heilman walked Tyler Colvin and then gave up a two run homer to ARam.  This was ARam’s second two run shot of the evening.  That ended the Cubs scoring for the night, but Heilman also gave up a triple to Starlin Castro in the eighth.

In the bottom of the eighth Sean Marshal gave up a double to pinch hitter Rusty Ryal.  Starlin Castro muffed what appeared to be a routine ground ball hit by Chris Young.  Ryal scored on a single by Kelly Johnson as Chris Young took third.

Enter Carlos Marmol to put out the fire.  With the Cubs leading 6-3, and needing 5 outs to seal the victory, Marmol and the home plate umpire made it interesting.

Marmol struck out the first batter he faced, Justin Upton, but the umpire didn’t see it that way.  He called strike three a ball.  On the next pitch Upton singled to left, driving in Chris Young from third base.

That was the end of the scoring for night.  Marmol struck out the next two batters to end the eighth inning.

The Cubs went three up and three down in the top of the ninth (Aaron Heilman was no longer pitching).

In the bottom of the ninth, Marmol struck out the first batter he faced, Adam LaRoche, but the ball got away from Soto and La Roche took first base.

Marmol struck out the next batter, Stephen Drew.  Pinch batter Chris Snider fouled out to Derrek Lee, and final Diamondbacks batter of the evening, Rusty Ryal, struck out.  The home plate umpire required Carlos Marmol to get four strikes on numerous batters tonight.

Lou was pretty entertaining, throwing F-Bombs from the dugout while Marmol pitched.

The Cubs won 6-4, giving Carlos Silva his 9th win of the season and extending their winning streak to 2 games.  The Cubs jumped into third place in the NL Central with this win (tied for third place with the Brewers).  That’s third place with a bullet.

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