Category: Baseball

Zelig backing up first base

Douglas Martin closes the book on Greg Goossen, C and 1B for the Mets and Seattle Pilots. A bright prospect who never starred, nonetheless Goossen’s name is attached to many incidents of baseball history in the 1960s, and he provided fodder for Jim Bouton’s Ball Four.

Bouton told of the time the two were on opposing International League teams and Goossen was catching. The batter bunted to the pitcher, and Goossen yelled, “First base! First base!” Instead the pitcher threw to second and everybody was safe.

As a disgusted Goossen stalked back to the plate, Bouton shouted from the dugout, “Goose, he had to consider the source.”

New ballpark

leadoff man tries a buntTuesday evening, Leta and I took in the game at the Nationals’ new ballpark. A well-pitched game that ended, alas, with a 1-0 loss to the Phillies.

that big scoreboardWe hard fairly good seats, down the right field line, so I craned over my shoulder to see the new, very sharp scoreboard. Too bad that it wasn’t put to better use for some of the replays: many of us missed a good look at a close play at the plate.

hometown crowdThe new stadium hasn’t acquired much local character yet, but I do like the formstone used for the backstop. Local materials, y’know. The main promenade around the park is at street level, which makes for easy circulation, and I like the local restaurants with food outlets at the park. Next time I’ll get there early enough to make it through the line for Ben’s Chili Bowl as well as to watch BP.

No hangers

Storing baseballs in a humidor may have reduced the number of home runs in Coors Field, home of the Colorado Rockies, but not for the conventionally-assumed reason, argue Edmund Meyer and John Bohn of the University of Colorado at Boulder in a pre-print article. The soggier balls would actually travel farther; but this effect is overmatched by the enhanced grippiness of the balls’ surfaces, which would give the edge to pitchers.