The Sports Then and Now Vintage Athlete of the Month was
just the fifth player in Major League Baseball history to have 11 straight
seasons with 20 or more home runs, yet could not sustain that greatness long
enough to earn a spot in the Baseball Hall of Fame.
In some sense, the legend of Rocco “Rocky” Colavito Jr.
began long before he ever started pounding home runs at the major league level.
Born and raised as a New York Yankees fan in The Bronx,
Colavito was playing semipro baseball before he was a teenager and dropped out
of high school at 16 after his sophomore year to pursue a professional career.
The major league rule at the time said a player could not sign with a pro team
until his high school class graduated, but after sitting out for one year,
Colavito was allowed to sign at age 17.
This was supposed to be opening weekend for the 2020 Major
League Baseball season, but instead, our favorite baseball players are joining
most other Americans on the sidelines as we recognize the great heroism of our
medical workers, teachers, grocery clerks and others who are helping to keep
our country moving during this pandemic.
ESPN, MLB Network and other channels have taken to showing
some old baseball broadcasts this week and that has been great.
However, I have found myself re-captivated by MLB Networks
showing of a 26-year-old documentary series on baseball created by Ken Burns.
For those too young to remember, the documentary originally
aired in September 1994 on PBS. As timing would have it, that happened to be
the first time in 90 years that the baseball season would end without a World
Series.
The documentary, which chronicled the history of the game
through nine broadcasts (for nine innings), was the most comprehensive look at
the history of the great American game.
Through a combination of narration by veteran news anchor
John Chancellor, interviews with many historians and former players and
archived video, the documentary captured the magic of the game at a time when baseball
fans were in a state of shock that there would be no post season.
Each chapter looked at a different stage of baseball history
and Burns did a great job showing both the positive elements of baseball
history as well as the warts.
Baseball and gambling are closely associated with each other since the mid-19th century. The game has a complex history with betting, with scandals taking place at various points in history. Some of the famous managers and baseball players have been involved with betting on their own teams, leading to a complex relationship between betting and baseball.
Baseball Was More Common in Small Country-wide Towns
Although many people think that baseball was played in metropolitan areas, it was actually more common in small towns. Rural people loved playing baseball as it was a game of skill, competition and skill, much like their farm work where uncertainty played a big part. During that time, almost all baseball games featured gambling on both sides, from how many hits a team was going to score to how long the game would last.
Gambling and baseball have now become more organized and regulated. Today, All the major online casinos like Jeetwin, Omnia, BluefoxCasino and moreare licensed and regulated by government authorities, and sports betting is restricted in some parts of the world. However, there was little control over gambling during the 19th century. In fact, betting was such a big feature of baseball that today’s fans would find it difficult to recognize the sport as it was then compared to today.
Ever since childhood, I have lived and
breathed baseball. As the years went by, I was playing baseball all the time,
so I barely had time to keep track of my favorite MLB teams. Currently, as a
baseball coach, I have the same problems because my team takes up all of my
time.
Gone are the days of being able to sit down
and watch my favorite MLB teams every night. So I started looking for better
ways to stay up-to-date on MLB news. I quickly came across this helpful
website.
Now, I simply have to check my phone
notifications for the latest baseball news and highlights. Here are a few major
benefits from these apps that you can keep in mind as you check them out.
Get the latest news from the MLB
MLB apps make all of the latest news available
to you at the touch of a button. These apps make it possible for you to keep up
with your favorite teams, favorite players, and other news around the league.
Whether you’re checking into the latest power rankings or figuring out which
players had the most fantasy points, you can be a more informed fan just by
checking your phone.
As the trade deadline approaches, the rumor
mill will start churning out some drama. If you don’t want to be left out of
the water-cooler talk at work, then you’ll want to keep up with the latest
rumors on which big stars are on the move this year. And if this water-cooler
talk involves fantasy baseball leagues and trash-talking opponents, you can use
these MLB apps as a baseball reference site for the best fantasy baseball
information.
A good portable pitching mound can turn any ol’ field into a baseball field, and any player into a pitcher.
What
are Portable Mounds?
Pitching mounds were originally created so
that pitchers would have a competitive advantage over batters. Being elevated
10” off the ground gives you the slight advantage of gravity, and gives the
batter a harder time of getting a hit. If the pitcher were to pitch from flat
ground, there would be a lot more home runs every game!
Because pitching mounds are so regularly used,
in youth baseball and in the MLB, it is absolutely imperative that kids start
pitching from a mound at an early age.
The creator of True Pitch Mounds started
making portable mounds when his son pitched in a championship game and gave up
runs due to the fact that he was not used to pitching from a mound!
America holds the tag of being famous for two of the things,
its open hearts for all those who wish to study
abroad– particularly in the States and even more for its ever
increasing craziness for baseball. However, this sport, like every other sport,
has its own sets of controversies, from run-ins with the law to strange
behaviors both inside and outside the field. Here’s a list of 5 such
controversies that touched the icebergs.
BALCO-BONDS Controversy: Barry Bonds is very allegedly known
as a companion of controversies. One of the most prominent and famous of the
lot being the BALCO controversy in 2003. BALCO aka Bay Area Laboratory
Co-Operative was being investigated by the government in 2003 and in the
course, Bonds’ name pounced up. One of the finest power-hitting outfielder,
Bonds was asked to testify before the grand jury where he declined the usage of
any sort of steroids let alone any association with the company. Bonds was
however, found to be lying and was later charged with both perjury and
obstruction of justice in 2007. Sentencing has yet to happen on the latter
charge.
ALCS- Game 6 Controversy: An eye flipping game between Kansas City
Royals and Toronto Blue Jays called for massive craziness among the audience.
It all started with Mike Moustakas of Kansas City Royals. Mike being in the ace
of his game, hit off of a magnificent delivery from David Price. The ball hyped
straight into the right field and was about to concluded a score when a fan
reached over the railing and caught the ball. The over enthusiasm of the fan
resulted in lack of clarity on whether the ball would have actually cleared the
wall or made a hit on the top- resulting in a whopping ground-rule double. The man
on right field, Bautista, signaled for interference, almost instantly. The
decision ruled out for a home run and was also confirmed upon review.
The Sports Then and Now Vintage Athlete of the Month is a former major league baseball player who came into the game as a teenager and stayed until he was in his 40s. In between, Rusty Staub put up a solid career that was primarily spent on expansion or rebuilding teams.
Originally signed by the Colt .45s at age 17, he made his major league debut as a 19-year old rookie and became only the second player in the modern era to play in more than 150 games as a teenager.
Though he hit only .224 splitting time between first base and rightfield, Staub did start building a foundation that would turn him into an All-Star by 1967 when he finished fifth in the league with a .333 batting average.