October 19, 2003
Merkle's Boner
It happened in September of 1908, in NY City. The Cubs were facing the Giants with the pennant on the line. Each and every game was a must-win situation. The score was tied 1-1, in the bottom of the 9th, the Giants had runners on the corners with two outs.
Fred Merkle, a 19 year-old rookie, was the runner on first. The next batter lined a single. The runner at third came home. It appeared to be a Giants victory, they had taken the lead for the pennant, the cheering fans swarmed the field. Merkle looked toward home plate and saw his teammate cross the plate. Merkle, startled as the crowd swarmed out of the bleachers onto the field, stopped. Thinking the game was over, Merkle sprinted off the field. But, he had forgotten an important rule of baseball, he did not go touch second. The Cubs retrieved the ball, went and touched second.
The game was declared at tie because order could not be restored because the fans could not be removed from the field. The two teams went on to finish the season in a dead tie for the pennant. They had to play a one-game playoff. The Cubs won and went to the World Series. One loss, the loss, that day knocked the Giants out.
Merkle was never forgiven by the NY fans for that blunder. He went on to have a solid career of 14 years and a lifetime average of 273. However, everywhere he went he always was reminded by fans of his terrible mistake on that day of his rookie season. A mistake that will always be called Merkle's Boner.
Didjaknow: The ball that Bill Buckner muffed was hit by Mets batter Mookie Wilson. Our Mookie was indirectly named for him.
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08:53 AM | category: History
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October 18, 2003
1905 - New York Giants vs. Philadelphia Athletics.
Game 1: Giants: 3, A's: 0, Christie Mathewson (W)
Game 2: A's: 3, Giants: 0, 'Chief' Bender (W)
Game 3: Giants: 9, A's: 0, Christie Mathewson (W)
Game 4: Giants: 1, A's: 0, 'Iron Joe' McGinnity (W)
Game 5: Giants: 2, A's: 0, Christie Mathewson (W)
Each game was a shutout, with Christie Mathewson winning three times. In the last game he outdueled 'Chief' Bender (nicknamed because he was a member of the Chippewa tribe) who had pitched the shutout victory in Game 2 for the A's.
Christie Mathewson was one of the original five players to be inducted into the Baseball Hall of Fame, along with Babe Ruth, Ty Cobb, Walter Johnson, and Honus Wagner.
Didjaknow: Chief Bender is also in the Hall of Fame, and is credited with inventing the slider.
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05:29 PM | category: History
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October 01, 2003
An interesting book on the subject is Hitler's Mistakes, by Ronald Lewin. In this book, the author points out twelve major blunders made by Hiter in the prelude to the war and during the actual conflict.
If you enjoy speculative fiction, you might like Hitler Victorious. This alternative-history collection of short stories contains eleven tales based on the premise that Germany won WWII. This is by no means great literature, but it is a thought-provoking read. My favorite story is Thor meets Captain America with it's chilling rationale behind the mysticism practiced by the Third Reich.
One thing Hitler possessed was vision. Sometimes his dreams were near insanity, but in many ways this faculty allowed his scientists the freedom to design wildly imaginative solutions to a given problem. Add the classic Tuetonic attention to detail, and there were warmaking weapons on the drawing boards that were twenty years ahead of their time. Take some time to visit Luft '46 and look around. As you explore the site and admire the elegant designs and breathtaking creativity, remind yourself that it's not fiction. Each and every idea outlined was a real and documented project of Hitler's Luftwaffe. Truly frightening.
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06:02 AM | category: History
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September 17, 2003
Admiral NelsonÂ’s flagship at Trafalgar was the HMS Victory. Her main foresail from that battle was discovered in a forgotten sail locker 150 years later. It had 90 cannonball holes in it.
One of the most effective battle maneuvers was called crossing the ‘T’, where your ship would pass directly in front or behind the enemy. This allowed you to rake him, firing your guns down the length of his deck without him being able to respond. The HMS Victory raked a French ship at Trafalgar, and with one shot of a carronade (a type of anti-personnel cannon), put 25 enemy cannon out of commision and killed or wounded 300 sailors.
When a new captain took command of a ship, one of his first tasks was to have the shipÂ’s carpenter build him a box that was hung as the captainÂ’s hammock. It would be decorated with drapes and tapestries made by his wife or mistress. If the captain died, theyÂ’d nail on a lid and bury him at sea in it.
The British threw their dead overboard during battle to keep the decks clear. The French took theirs below and buried them amid the ballast after the battle, because a Catholic French widow could not remarry without proof of her husbandsÂ’ death. Imagine the smell.
The best of the furniture aboard would be bagged in canvas and put aboard the ships boats before battle. The boats would then be towed along behind the ship. The Portuguese, French and British navies had a gentlemanÂ’s agreement not to target each others furniture.
Jennifer posted a list of naval punishments, most being lashings with the whip. In the British navy, the person wielding the cat-o-nine-tails was required to clean the whip between each stroke because blood and flayed flesh would cause the tails to clump together, reducing the effectiveness of the lash.
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August 28, 2003
Read about the history of Jamestown.
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