Baseball Logic

From Frank Lidz's essay, "Wild and Crazy Hombres," about the Perez brothers:


"You begin to suspect something's not quite right when Pascual Perez tells you he's the 'oldest of five twin brothers.'"


Later, Lidz cites Valerio Perez talking about his father: "Last year he pitched for an old-timers' team and had a 3-2 record. 'He should win more,' says Valerio, 'but he only pitch three games.'


Five decisions in three games?


'One was a tie.'


Oh.

And Chi Cho, the father, continues: "'My best start I win one-nothing.' I have single, double, two RBI.'


Two RBIs in a 1-0 game?


'He good, no?' says Valerio."


And, finally, when asked by a Toronto customs official, "What country are you from?" Melido Perez answers, "The Chicago White Sox."


"No, where is your home?"


"The Chicago White Sox."


"And before that?"


"The Kansas City Royals."


John

Did you see that the Red Sox pitcher threw home the other day with his team up 7-1 and runners on first and second?


Supposedly, once with the bases loaded, Lefty Gomez got a combacker. He had his choice of bases to throw to (home would have been an excellent selection). Instead, he wheels and throws to Tony Lazzeri, the shortstop, who is not covering any base, but is still in his original position between 2nd and 3rd.


Lazzeri comes running to the mound to ask Gomez what he did that for. Gomez replied something to the effect that he had been reading in the paper about how smart a player Lazzeri was and wanted to see an example of said smartness.


Ted Williams always said, in his usual tactful manner, that pitchers were dumb. Maybe I'd say the same thing too if I could hit .344, but your post and mine don't exactly contradict Williams' assertion.

Andy,


Yes, I saw the game. In the essay, Lidz also mentions that one of the Perez brothers fields a combacker to the mound, wheels and fakes a throw to third although there was no runner there.


While interviewing three of the brothers, Lidz is told there are many funny stories about Ruben Dario, another brother, and the chickens and Ruben Dario and the goats. The brothers are doubled over with laughter, and Lidz asks for an example: "So many funny stories, we can't even

remember them." Of course, all the brothers were pitchers.


Love the Gomez story.


John

Germany Schaefer was on first and another guy was on third. He took off for second on the pitch hoping to draw the catcher's throw. When this didn't work, he, on the next pitch, announced "Let's try it again!" and took off back to first base.


Obviously, this was before the rule about backing up a base was implemented, so Schaefer was free to take off for second again on the third pitch.


The Glory of Their Times was probably my favorite book growing up, and hold empirical evidence that pitchers do not have a monopoly on looniness (although they've held a controlling majority in it over the years).

Great story. I think maybe Billy Hamilton used to do the same thing.


The Glory of Their Times is still in print and, I think, the greatest baseball book ever. Or at least the most enjoyable one.

man, I was baseball crazy growing up. when I hurt my arm in my sophomore year of college, I hung it up, quit baseball, and just became crazy =)


love those oldtimers. can't help to think what jimmy foxx would have been like on roids. or ty cobb (personality wise, at least).