March 29, 2026

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Top Stories

Lucky Lohrke or Low-Key Lohrke?

March 26, 2026 · by · Leave a Comment 

Jack Lohrke played for the New York Giants from 1947-1951 Whenever you read about a disastrous plane crash, there is inevitably a sidebar pertaining to one or more passengers who had reservations but missed the flight for one reason or another.  Or there is the occasional passenger who somehow survived the disaster.  Last summer, we had the example of a man (Vishwash Kumar Ramesh) who walked away from an Air India crash that killed all the other (241) passengers. After reading about such events, one cannot help but wonder how one would respond if one were the survivor.  The responses of survivors... [Read the full story]

General

The Most Sickening Event In The History of This Universe or Any Other

March 27, 2026 · by · Leave a Comment 

The Chicago White Sox opened the 2026 season by making the short drive north to Milwaukee to face the Brewers but left their hitting, pitching, dignity, humor, and religion behind, getting obliterated 14-2 in a contest so ugly it made you admire the blind and cry with the dead.The Sox actually got off to a tremendous start, as Chase Meidroth became the first South Sider to ever hit a home run in the team’s very first at-bat of the season, giving the White Sox a 1-0 first inning lead.But then the next three hours were worse than a Wes Anderson movie. At least those sometimes have Scarlett Johansson.The... [Read the full story]

Features

Gold Glove, Golden Memories: So long, Brooks

September 27, 2023 · by · Leave a Comment 

I have dreaded this day since I was old enough to truly appreciate the perspective that mortality brings. I just heard that Brooks Robinson has died. It must be true because something is gone inside of me. Maybe the last vestiges of childhood innocence that have hung around for these 66 years. Maybe the ultimate rejection of that fantasy that somehow Life will go back to the way it was, and once again we’ll be in the early morning of our hopes and dreams. Yes, this baseball player meant that much to a generation of Baltimoreans; a ballplayer about whom as Gordon Beard, a former AP sports writer... [Read the full story]

Hall of Fame

WAR and Win Shares and Charlie Blackmon

March 23, 2019 · by · 1 Comment 

It appears that WAR, in attempting to assign a single number to represent a player’s season, has a problem with fielding.   And the problem is not so much with the player’s defensive WAR score – but rather with trying to COMBINE this score with the offensive WAR.   A very good or very poor fielding score appears to seriously distort the player’s total WAR score. As an example, Matt Chapman had a great fielding season at third base in 2018 and his situation illustrates quite well why WAR does a relatively good job of evaluating his offensive value (oWAR) and his defensive value (dWAR)... [Read the full story]

Minors

Principal Park: Despite City’s Size, Ballpark Has Big Impact

June 30, 2018 · by · Leave a Comment 

Minor league baseball a Des Moines, Iowa, staple at same location since 1947 Submitted by Steve Dunn Located at the confluence of the Des Moines and Raccoon rivers in Des Moines, Iowa, Principal Park and its two predecessors have hosted professional baseball since Friday, June 20, 1947. One of the more unique games in minor league history was played nearly 61 years later at Principal Park on Saturday, June 14, 2008. With widespread flooding in central Iowa, the Iowa Cubs and Nashville Sounds played a Triple A Pacific Coast League game that drew an official attendance of zero. “The only other... [Read the full story]

General

The Most Sickening Event In The History of This Universe or Any Other

March 27, 2026 by

The Chicago White Sox opened the 2026 season by making the short drive north to Milwaukee to face the Brewers but left their hitting, pitching, dignity, humor, and religion behind, getting obliterated 14-2 in a contest so ugly it made you admire the blind and cry with the dead.The Sox actually got off to a tremendous start, as Chase Meidroth became... Read more of this article


Ducks On the Pond; Goose Eggs On the Scoreboard

February 22, 2026 by

Cubs hurler Larry Cheney tossed a 14-hit shutout against the Giants in 1913. Theoretically, a pitcher could give up three hits every inning and maintain a shutout.  A 27-hit shutout is conceivable but virtually impossible.  Of course, in an era when a complete game is a rarity, musing about complete game shutouts is an exercise in nostalgia. If the... Read more of this article


Red Barrett, Efficiency Expert

January 21, 2026 by

The starter was holding his own.  Pitching into the 5th inning, he had yielded just one unearned run.  Suddenly the manager came out of the dugout and beckoned for a new pitcher, a puzzling move to be sure.  As it turned out, the pitcher who came out of the bullpen was ineffective, as were his successors.  They yielded 14 more runs and the game. ... Read more of this article


Frank Lane’s Cardinal Sin

December 13, 2025 by

Some years ago, I had the opportunity to obtain an autograph of Wally Moon. Unfortunately, I had nothing in the way of a card or picture worthy of an autograph. So, I hied myself to a local card shop to see what I could find. The price for a 1957 Wally Moon card wasn’t as high as I thought it would be, but there was something odd about it. The uniform... Read more of this article


Cobb Duels Sisler for King of The Hill

November 2, 2025 by

Given George Sisler’s 15-year career and lifetime .340 batting average, it is a bit surprising that he had but two American League batting championships – and he had to hit more than .400 (.407 in 1920 and .420 in 1922) to obtain them.  The competition was stiff in those days, and one of Sisler’s regular competitors was Ty Cobb.  Their careers... Read more of this article


A Legendary Southpaw South of the Border

September 7, 2025 by

If you ever visit the Baseball Hall of Fame or spend any time reading about it, sooner or later you will probably hear the inductees referred to as immortals. It is, of course, an exaggeration. On the other hand, that bronze plaque in the hall might qualify as immortal, as it will surely be there long after the player so honored is designated for permanent... Read more of this article


Retro Computer Baseball Game Review – Computer Statis Pro Baseball

August 12, 2025 by

This is the second entry in a series focusing on computer baseball simulations to supplement the chapter “Play Retro Baseball Video Games In Your Browser” from my Hardball Retroactive book along with the corresponding post at Baseball Analytics. The series focuses on baseball simulations – games in which the primary emphasis is on managerial... Read more of this article


When Walk-Up Music Walked Tall

July 12, 2025 by

White Sox owner Charles Comiskey The seeds were planted on the South Side of Chicago in 1913, when the White Sox installed a public address system. Only three years old at the time, Comiskey Park was renowned as “The Baseball Palace of the World.” The park was originally dubbed White Sox Park, so it might be that Charles Comiskey wanted to make... Read more of this article


Computer Baseball Sims – Conducting a Solo Draft

May 1, 2025 by

I recently posted a number of tutorial videos on my HardballRetro YouTube channel offering a step-by-step walkthrough for conducting a draft using various computer baseball simulations. You can view the playlist here or click on the individual links to access the videos. I usually break them into two parts: the first video discusses how to create a... Read more of this article


Promise Unfulfilled…But Why?

April 27, 2025 by

Some seamheads check the TRANSACTIONS web sites on a regular basis. Me, I check Baseball Almanac, not for transactions, but for obituaries. When a Hall of Famer (e.g, Rickey Henderson) dies, it makes the news. Lesser players receive less airtime or column space. Sometimes much less. Yet Baseball Almanac dutifully records the death of anyone who ever... Read more of this article


More Posts From General

Features

Gold Glove, Golden Memories: So long, Brooks

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I have dreaded this day since I was old enough to truly appreciate the perspective... 


Cheap and Ugly in the Capitol

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Calvin Griffith (AP Photo/John Duricka )   Upon Googling: “Cheapest Baseball... 


Making the Game Fun Again

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As the season loomed large in the late winter months, a friend who had prepared a... 


Stories Over Stats

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While on our way to breakfast Saturday morning, the subject of former Oriole, now... 


Aaron Judge in a Nationals Uniform?

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No, I did not predict Josh Bell going to San Diego, but who did? In my defense, just... 


More Posts From Features

Hall of Fame

WAR and Win Shares and Charlie Blackmon

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It appears that WAR, in attempting to assign a single number to represent a player’s... 


The BBWAA “Report Card” for the 21st Century

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The CAWS Career Gauge (CCG) has ranked all of the outstanding players of the modern... 


WAR and JAWS – Exaggerating Fielding Value

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In an earlier post, I pointed out that Matt Chapman’s WAR value for 2018 (8.2)... 


A Problem with WAR = Defensive Value

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My primary research interest has always been determining which players had the best... 


The Four CAWS HOF Benchmarks for Pitchers

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In a previous post re Koufax and Kershaw, I mentioned one of the benchmarks created... 


More Posts From Hall of Fame
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Minors

Principal Park: Despite City’s Size, Ballpark Has Big Impact

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Minor league baseball a Des Moines, Iowa, staple at same location since 1947 Submitted... 


Max Watt: The Boston Red Sox’s Power Pitching Prospect

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Scouting is an integral part of professional baseball. Teams employ and send out... 


Suns’ First Pitch Thrown By Suns’ First Pitcher

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The Hagerstown Suns of the South Atlantic League asked the retiring sheriff of nearby... 


An Interview with Boston Red Sox Prospect Nick Longhi

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Growing up rooting for a baseball team, and striving to get into position to one... 


Carroll enjoys staying on his grind

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ROCHESTER, NY – More than a decade has passed since Brett Carroll roamed... 


More Posts From Minors
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