baseball humor

[Tom Poje]

Tripped across this.

I'm a bit fascinated by stats.

Miguel Cabrera had hit 2598 last night and I was looking up to see where that was on the all time list.

with 2605 was someone name Rabbit Maranville.

well, with a name like that I had to look it up.

played in the 10's and 20's.

Played the most number of seasons as anyone until Pete Rose.

but the story about him...

 

 

Maranville appeared in all 156 games during the miracle season of 1914, driving in 78 runs out of the cleanup spot even though he batted only .246. He came up with many big hits during the Braves' pennant drive, but none was more important than the game-winning home run he belted in the tenth inning on August 6--even though he was suffering from a severe hangover from drinking too much champagne at a dinner party the night before. "In the clubhouse while I was undressing Stallings came over to me and said, 'You go back to choking up; you are no home-run hitter,'" Rabbit remembered. "Truthfully, I never did see the ball I hit, and years later Babe Adams, who was the pitcher that day, asked me if it was a curve or a fastball I hit over the fence. I told him I never saw it and he said, 'I know darn well you never did.'"

[Belgarath]

I also love stats, although the current spate of ESPN "stats" are becoming absurd. "He's the first player ever to hit triples in two consecutive road games  in the 8th inning or later when his team was losing by more than three runs, while wearing white cleats and chewing bubble gum rather than tobacco..." - you get the idea.

You probably already know this, but if not, look up Smead Jolley. A stat no one wants to be remembered for.

[My 2 cents]

Rabbit Maranville was inducted into the Baseball Hall of Fame in 1954 (a few months after he died).  Even though not particularly stellar offensively, he was a perennial MVP candidate in his long career due in large part to his defensive skills.

[CuseFan]

Thanks guys, enjoyed the old time baseball references nearly as much as RBG's Blazing Saddles reference yesterday.