Sports Then and Now

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 more are 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.

Top MLB & Baseball Apps

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.

1. 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.

Imagine if one of the most iconic athletes of the current era suddenly retired, announced he had an incurable disease and within two years was dead. That is exactly what happened in 1939 when iconic New York Yankees star Lou Gehrig pulled himself out of the lineup after 2,130 consecutive games and then 80 years ago, on July 4, 1939, said goodbye to New York fans with his famous “luckiest man on the face of the earth” speech.

For 13 years, Gehrig was baseball’s most durable player as he famously was in the lineup every day. But durability wasn’t his only strength, he was also the best first baseman of his generation and was a run-producing machine.

Only Gehrig could push the Sultan of Swat, Babe Ruth, into the number three spot in the batting order. He drove in 140 or more runs nine times during his career, including 185 RBI during the 1931 season. In 1934 he claimed the triple crown as he hit .363 with 49 home runs and 166 RBI.