Prominent living former Negro Leaguers include Hall of Famers Monte Irvin, Willie Mays, Ernie Banks and Hank Aaron.
Stamps and first day cachets can be ordered online from USPS.com.
Showing posts with label Hank Aaron. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Hank Aaron. Show all posts
Thursday, July 15, 2010
Negro Leagues honored with new stamp
Prominent living former Negro Leaguers include Hall of Famers Monte Irvin, Willie Mays, Ernie Banks and Hank Aaron.
Stamps and first day cachets can be ordered online from USPS.com.
Wednesday, July 7, 2010
Is Jason Heyward the second coming of Hank Aaron?
With all of the talk surrounding Jason Heyward making the National League all-star team, his rookie season bears many comparisons to another 20-year-old Braves phenom, Hank Aaron. While Heyward has another 20 years to go to fill the shoes of his mentor, one can't help but compare the two right fielders as rookies. Similar in their strong builds, youthful exuberance, sweet swings and position; this generation could quite possibly be watching the second coming of Aaron develop before their eyes.
Both players spent minimal time in the minor leagues, with Aaron playing 224 games and Heyward playing 238 before entering the majors at the age of 20. After torrid spring trainings (Aaron's aided by the injury of Bobby Thomson's ankle) they were named the starting right fielders for their clubs and quickly captivated the attention of the fans, media and their teammates.
Again, while premature, as we approach the all-star break, here is a statistical comparison of the first halves of Aaron and Heyward's rookie seasons. If this is any indicator of what lies ahead for Heyward, we very well might be seeing greatness in the making.
Hank Aaron 1954 rookie year first and second half splits
| I | Split | G | GS | PA | AB | R | H | 2B | 3B | HR | RBI | SB | CS | BB | SO | BA | OBP | SLG | OPS | TB | GDP | HBP | SH | SF | IBB | ROE | BAbip | tOPS+ | sOPS+ |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1st Half | 76 | 74 | 325 | 297 | 40 | 85 | 20 | 3 | 11 | 45 | 1 | 2 | 22 | 24 | .286 | .337 | .485 | .822 | 144 | 8 | 2 | 2 | 2 | 0 | 4 | .280 | 113 | 123 | |
| 2nd Half | 46 | 39 | 184 | 171 | 18 | 46 | 7 | 3 | 2 | 24 | 1 | 0 | 6 | 15 | .269 | .294 | .380 | .675 | 65 | 5 | 1 | 4 | 2 | 0 | 3 | .282 | 76 | 87 |
Jason Heyward 2010 rookie year first half stats as of 7/7/10
| Split | G | GS | PA | AB | R | H | 2B | 3B | HR | RBI | SB | CS | BB | SO | BA | OBP | SLG | OPS | TB | GDP | HBP | SH | SF | IBB | ROE | BAbip | tOPS+ | sOPS+ |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1st Half | 71 | 67 | 303 | 255 | 41 | 64 | 13 | 3 | 11 | 45 | 5 | 4 | 42 | 68 | .251 | .366 | .455 | .821 | 116 | 5 | 5 | 0 | 1 | 2 | 9 | .299 | 100 | 124 |
Sunday, May 30, 2010
Book Review: The Negro Leagues Revisited: Conversations with 66 more baseball heroes
Brent Kelley
McFarland Publishing, 2010
389 pp.
"The Negro Leagues Revisited" is Brent Kelley's follow-up to his successful collection of Negro League interviews "Voices from the Negro Leagues". Originally published in 2000, McFarland is celebrating its 10 year anniversary by releasing it in paperback form. Sadly, as of this writing less than one-third of the 66 players interviewed for this collection are deceased. The interviews span the careers of Negro League players from the 1920's through the 1960's.
Even though many of the legends are no longer with us, Kelley has managed to capture an important time in both baseball and American history by letting these men who played in the Negro Leagues tell their stories of competing in an era of segregation. Many are unaware that the Negro Leagues had a collection of veterans that made the league run in addition to the likes of Satchel Paige, Josh Gibson and Buck Leonard.
He brings to life the voices of such colorful players as Buck O'Neil, "The Human Vacuum Cleaner" Bobby Robinson, Ted "Double Duty" Radcliffe, Andy "Pullman" Porter, and Buster Haywood who was Hank Aaron's manager in the Negro Leagues. Listen and enjoy their tales of traveling the United States and the Caribbean playing against all of the greats of baseball. It's a compelling look into the lives of the men who for most of their career, played in obscurity solely due to the color of their skin.
Friday, July 31, 2009
Book Review: Hard-Luck Harvey Haddix and the Greatest Game Ever Lost - Lew Freedman
"Hard-Luck Harvey Haddix and the Greatest Game Ever Lost"
Lew Freedman
McFarland Publishing, 2009
210 pages
This week Mark Buehrle set a Major League record for consecutive outs with 45. His tremendous feat came on heels of pitching a perfect game, followed by almost another six "perfect" innings in the next game. Without fail during the media coverage of Buehrle's streak, Harvey Haddix's flirt with perfection 50 years prior was ushered to the forefront of baseball discussion. Chicago-based sportswriter Lew Freedman recreates the events of May 26, 1959 with his new book, Hard-Luck Harvey Haddix and the Greatest Game Ever Lost, placing the reader in a box seat for all of the action.
Imagine pitching not only nine innings of perfect baseball as Buehrle did, but pitching 12 in an extra inning game, only to lose in the end. To add insult to injury, 30-something years later, a minor rule change strikes your no-hitter from the record books. Such is the story of "Hard-Luck" Harvey Haddix.
Follow Haddix as he battles flu-like symptoms to silence the bats of greats such as Eddie Mathews and Hank Aaron. Freedman keeps the reader on the edge of their seat as the game tightens with each zero placed on the board. Every inning, you receive insider commentary from Haddix's teammates as he records another trifecta. As the game goes along you hope that the Pirates can string together a few of their 12 hits off of Lew Burdette to push a runner across the plate.
You are clued into the mind of Manager Danny Murtaugh, dissecting each move as you approach the later stages of the contest. Will Murtaugh summon ace reliever Roy Face? Will a pinch-hitter appear for Haddix in the late innings? Conspicuously absent from the lineup was the injured Hall of Famer Roberto Clemente, opening the door for Roman Mejias to start. Mejias would later gain infamy on a key play during the early stages of the game. Would the result have been different with the Puerto Rican star in the lineup?
In between the description of the game's events, Freedman delivers insightful profiles of the players on the field for Pittsburgh, allowing the reader to gain a look at lesser known players that contributed that day such as: Bob Skinner, Dick Schofield, Dick Stuart, Rocky Nelson, and Smoky Burgess.
Sadly, no footage of this game exists. The Pirates were on the road and the local TV station KDKA chose to show a speech of vice-president Richard Nixon instead of the game between the Braves and the Pirates. This is why this book excels. With the recently released footage of Don Larsen's perfect game, the mystique of what actually transpired has been diminished. It is no longer a story told by only those who were there to witness it. Freedman's script of Haddix's game and its surroundings only enhance the legend of Haddix's duel with Burdette. If you want an illumination of one baseball's most magical games, Freedman serves up a winner in detailing the greatest game ever lost.
Lew Freedman
McFarland Publishing, 2009
210 pages
This week Mark Buehrle set a Major League record for consecutive outs with 45. His tremendous feat came on heels of pitching a perfect game, followed by almost another six "perfect" innings in the next game. Without fail during the media coverage of Buehrle's streak, Harvey Haddix's flirt with perfection 50 years prior was ushered to the forefront of baseball discussion. Chicago-based sportswriter Lew Freedman recreates the events of May 26, 1959 with his new book, Hard-Luck Harvey Haddix and the Greatest Game Ever Lost, placing the reader in a box seat for all of the action.
Follow Haddix as he battles flu-like symptoms to silence the bats of greats such as Eddie Mathews and Hank Aaron. Freedman keeps the reader on the edge of their seat as the game tightens with each zero placed on the board. Every inning, you receive insider commentary from Haddix's teammates as he records another trifecta. As the game goes along you hope that the Pirates can string together a few of their 12 hits off of Lew Burdette to push a runner across the plate.
You are clued into the mind of Manager Danny Murtaugh, dissecting each move as you approach the later stages of the contest. Will Murtaugh summon ace reliever Roy Face? Will a pinch-hitter appear for Haddix in the late innings? Conspicuously absent from the lineup was the injured Hall of Famer Roberto Clemente, opening the door for Roman Mejias to start. Mejias would later gain infamy on a key play during the early stages of the game. Would the result have been different with the Puerto Rican star in the lineup?
In between the description of the game's events, Freedman delivers insightful profiles of the players on the field for Pittsburgh, allowing the reader to gain a look at lesser known players that contributed that day such as: Bob Skinner, Dick Schofield, Dick Stuart, Rocky Nelson, and Smoky Burgess.
Sadly, no footage of this game exists. The Pirates were on the road and the local TV station KDKA chose to show a speech of vice-president Richard Nixon instead of the game between the Braves and the Pirates. This is why this book excels. With the recently released footage of Don Larsen's perfect game, the mystique of what actually transpired has been diminished. It is no longer a story told by only those who were there to witness it. Freedman's script of Haddix's game and its surroundings only enhance the legend of Haddix's duel with Burdette. If you want an illumination of one baseball's most magical games, Freedman serves up a winner in detailing the greatest game ever lost.