Philadelphia Baseball History

Last year, three players, Manny Machado, Bryce Harper and Mike Trout, signed contracts worth in excess of $25 million per year to play baseball.   When baseball players sign such record breaking contracts, you often hear someone complain about our nation’s priorities, decrying that we value sports stars more than teachers. Of course, paying big money for star players is nothing new in baseball.   In 1925, Connie Mack paid $100,600 so Robert “Lefty” Grove could play for his Philadelphia Athletics.   That would be worth approximately $1.5 million in 2020.   This was the highest amount paid for a player at that time, exceeding even the $100,000 the Yankees paid the Red Sox for Babe Ruth in 1920 (estimates place the value of the Babe Ruth sale between $1.3 million and $1.5 million adjusted for inflation).   The problem, however, is that Lefty Grove received none of that money.   In 1925, Mack paid Grove a mere $6,500 (worth approximately $97,000 in 2020...

After finally watching the slow-motion video replay from Friday night’s controversial play in the Indians win over the Yankees, I do not believe that a replay review would necessarily have gone the Yankees’ way. The reason is in the standard needed to overturn the call in the field. That standard is clear and convincing evidence. To review, it was the bottom of the sixth inning. The Yankees were ahead by a score of 8 to 3. Lonnie Chisenhall came to the plate, with two men on base and two out.  The count was no balls and two strikes. Yankees pitcher Chad Green throws high and inside. The umpire signals that the ball has hit Chisenhall’s hand. Catcher Gary Sanchez, who caught the ball, immediately points to the dugout to signal his belief that manager Joe Girardi should request a replay review. If the call were overturned, the result would have been a foul tip strike out and the inning would have been over. Instead, of course, the inning continued any grand slam home ...