Five times, Berra had more home runs than strikeouts in a season, striking out just twelve times in 597 at-bats in 1950.
How good a catcher?
Berra led all American League catchers eight times in games caught and in chances accepted, six times in double plays (a major league record), eight times in putouts, three times in assists, and once in fielding percentage. Berra left the game with the AL records for catcher putouts (8,723) and chances accepted (9,520). He was also one of only four catchers to ever field 1.000 for a season, playing 88 errorless games in 1958.
15 All-Star selections, 13 World Series championships, 3 MVP selections. Then there's this:
According to the win shares formula developed by sabermetrician Bill James, Berra is the greatest catcher of all time and the 52nd greatest non-pitching player in major-league history.
Diogenes of Sinope: "It is not that I am mad, it is only that my head is different from yours."
Arnold Judas Rimmer, BSC, SSC: "Better dead than smeg."
MLB commish to rule like a hypocritical asshole before end of year.
"No one in the history of the game who has been declared permanently ineligible has been reinstated," Dowd said. "That gives Rule 21 tremendous force that protects the integrity of the game."
Rule 21 declares permanently ineligible any MLB player, umpire, or club or league official or employee who bets on any game in which the bettor has a duty to perform.
Kevin Hallinan, the former MLB security director who investigated Rose for the Dowd report, told Weinbaum, "The commissioner will decide in the best interests of the game. This is not about the individual."
Fuck everyone involved in that report. They've fucked the integrity of the game more than Pete ever did, as has everyone who's looked the other way on the juicers.
Diogenes of Sinope: "It is not that I am mad, it is only that my head is different from yours."
Arnold Judas Rimmer, BSC, SSC: "Better dead than smeg."
Early in the 2009-2010 season, Washington Wizards guard Javaris Crittenton lost a $1,100 card game to then-teammate JaVale McGee and apparently argued with McGee over the game.
After teammate Gilbert Arenas got involved in the argument, Crittenton allegedly threatened to shoot Arenas.
Several days later, Arenas reportedly brought four unloaded guns into the Washington locker room, along with a note instructing Crittenton to "PICK ONE" and carry out his threat.
Instead of picking one of Arenas' firearms, Crittenton allegedly responded by pulling out a loaded gun.
Diogenes of Sinope: "It is not that I am mad, it is only that my head is different from yours."
Arnold Judas Rimmer, BSC, SSC: "Better dead than smeg."
"Happy slaves are the worst enemies of freedom." - Marie Von Ebner
"It was always the women, and above all the young ones, who were the most bigoted adherents of the Party, the swallowers of slogans, the amateur spies..." - Orwell
Nat'l league teams are in bold. The order in which I've got the teams represents their standings in terms of W-L. The number in front is their rank on the salary list.
11. St. Louis Cardinals $120,869,458
25. Pittsburgh Pirates $88,278,500
13. Chicago Cubs $119,006,885
10. Toronto Blue Jays $122,506,600
16. Kansas City Royals $113,618,650 21. New York Mets $101,409,244
1. Los Angeles Dodgers $272,789,040
8. Texas Rangers $142,140,873
2. New York Yankees $219,282,196
29. Houston Astros $70,910,100
Interesting notes:
3 teams from the bottom third of the salary rung are in.
4 top ten salary teams are in.
The team with the biggest budget (LA) only made it in because they're in a div with one other team above .500. They wouldn't even be in the wild card race.
The Yankees (#2 on the salary list) wouldn't be in without the wild card.
The Nat'l league central is fucking tough. It's the NFC West of MLB.
Diogenes of Sinope: "It is not that I am mad, it is only that my head is different from yours."
Arnold Judas Rimmer, BSC, SSC: "Better dead than smeg."
Yankees lose the AL wildcard to the Astros. Fuck them and fuck A-Hole-Rod.
Edited By Malcolm on 1444188680
Diogenes of Sinope: "It is not that I am mad, it is only that my head is different from yours."
Arnold Judas Rimmer, BSC, SSC: "Better dead than smeg."
I like how they lost to an opponent with almost 1/3 of their team's bank account. The Dodgers are also not looking statistically like they'll get out of the first round.
Diogenes of Sinope: "It is not that I am mad, it is only that my head is different from yours."
Arnold Judas Rimmer, BSC, SSC: "Better dead than smeg."
Pirates are out. Cubs are in. That just makes it slightly less embarrassing for the Dodgers when they lose.
Edited By Malcolm on 1444325935
Diogenes of Sinope: "It is not that I am mad, it is only that my head is different from yours."
Arnold Judas Rimmer, BSC, SSC: "Better dead than smeg."
Dodgers players pulls a late slide into someone with his back to him and breaks the leg of the Mets infielder trying to turn a double play.
Diogenes of Sinope: "It is not that I am mad, it is only that my head is different from yours."
Arnold Judas Rimmer, BSC, SSC: "Better dead than smeg."
The deadbirds seem determined to lose because they just pissed away a 2-0 first inning lead in Wrigley while being down 1-2 games. Their pitching has blown since the start of game 2. They and the Cubs have similar payrolls, so I don't really care either way.
The Mets are 2-1 up on the Dodgers.
21. New York Mets $101,409,244
1. Los Angeles Dodgers $272,789,040
They have roughly the same record except by my calculations, LA has approximately 269% more suck and/or stupid. Can't believe I'm saying it, but go Mets.
Edited By Malcolm on 1444771432
Diogenes of Sinope: "It is not that I am mad, it is only that my head is different from yours."
Arnold Judas Rimmer, BSC, SSC: "Better dead than smeg."
St. Loser is gone in 4 after setting the record for most homers given up in a single postseason game, and possibly the two-game record.
Diogenes of Sinope: "It is not that I am mad, it is only that my head is different from yours."
Arnold Judas Rimmer, BSC, SSC: "Better dead than smeg."
Malcolm wrote:...setting the record for most homers given up in a single postseason game, and possibly the two-game record.
Also in a series.
Diogenes of Sinope: "It is not that I am mad, it is only that my head is different from yours."
Arnold Judas Rimmer, BSC, SSC: "Better dead than smeg."
Nat'l league teams are in bold. The order in which I've got the teams represents their standings in terms of W-L. The number in front is their rank on the salary list.
11. St. Louis Cardinals $120,869,458
25. Pittsburgh Pirates $88,278,500
13. Chicago Cubs $119,006,885
10. Toronto Blue Jays $122,506,600
16. Kansas City Royals $113,618,650 21. New York Mets $101,409,244
1. Los Angeles Dodgers $272,789,040
8. Texas Rangers $142,140,873
2. New York Yankees $219,282,196
29. Houston Astros $70,910,100
The current picture: 13. Chicago Cubs $119,006,885
10. Toronto Blue Jays $122,506,600
16. Kansas City Royals $113,618,650 21. New York Mets $101,409,244
I have to pull for the Mets.
Edited By Malcolm on 1444966025
Diogenes of Sinope: "It is not that I am mad, it is only that my head is different from yours."
Arnold Judas Rimmer, BSC, SSC: "Better dead than smeg."
The current picture:
13. Chicago Cubs $119,006,885
10. Toronto Blue Jays $122,506,600
16. Kansas City Royals $113,618,650
21. New York Mets $101,409,244
KC is up on the northern heathens, 2-0. Mets are also 2 games ahead of the Cubs at 2-0.
Diogenes of Sinope: "It is not that I am mad, it is only that my head is different from yours."
Arnold Judas Rimmer, BSC, SSC: "Better dead than smeg."
Diogenes of Sinope: "It is not that I am mad, it is only that my head is different from yours."
Arnold Judas Rimmer, BSC, SSC: "Better dead than smeg."
Diogenes of Sinope: "It is not that I am mad, it is only that my head is different from yours."
Arnold Judas Rimmer, BSC, SSC: "Better dead than smeg."
16. Kansas City Royals $113,618,650
21. New York Mets $101,409,244
Two teams from the bottom half of MLB's salary list.
Diogenes of Sinope: "It is not that I am mad, it is only that my head is different from yours."
Arnold Judas Rimmer, BSC, SSC: "Better dead than smeg."
Finding Ruth, a 60-minute special on what Babe Ruth would be doing in the world of 2015 baseball. The statistics of his career are unreal, and I say that every single time I look at them. Period. No human being should be that good at hitting a tiny spheroid with a stick. His actual salary, projected modern stats, fantasy value, and sabermetric value would be off the fucking charts. His contract was estimated at half a billion dollars.
Best part:
They tried to relay just how hard Babe was hitting the ball. Today, there are home run derbies where the best of the best power hitters get fat pitches served up to them. The record for the longest home run shot is 530-something feet, and that was by the juicer Sosa. This is the live ball era, and someone cheating with PEDs, and modern nutrition and training did that.
There were no home run derbies back in the day. At an exhibition once, Babe hit some balls that got measured by tape. When he performed this feat, he had torn cartilage in his knee (as he did the vast majority of his career), he was ill, had another injury besides his knee, and it was pouring rain. It was also the dead ball era, and Ruth probably had eaten and drunk a small banquet the night before. He still hit a ball fucking 540-something feet using a 54-ounce bat.
Every sport has its greats: Gretzky, Pele, Bo Jackson, Michael Jordan, whoever. None of their respective teams built a stadium and an empire around the man. There's no "House that Gretzky built" or "Arena that Mike Built." Jordon didn't take the Bulls from losing money every single season to financial prosperity.
Edited By Malcolm on 1445976267
Diogenes of Sinope: "It is not that I am mad, it is only that my head is different from yours."
Arnold Judas Rimmer, BSC, SSC: "Better dead than smeg."