Writing tips from the greats of baseball

"The crowd makes the ballgame."

Ty Cobb, baseball player

Remember those words. "The crowd makes the ballgame." That is the truth. It is the number one thing you need to remember about your writing. The crowd. The readers. You don't always have to please them, but you sure as heck need to keep them in mind. If you don't, you're just writing for yourself. Which is okay as long as you're not expecting to be published someday. But for those of us who enjoy being published and make our livings writing, the reader must be held in importance.

"This is a game to be savored, not gulped."

Bill Veeck, team owner and promoter

There is a lot of truth in that statement from one of baseball's more flamboyant characters. For one thing, if you rush through a writing project, you're likely to make more mistakes. Sit back and enjoy your writing. If you're not having fun writing, your readers probably won't either.

"Poets are like baseball pitchers. Both have their moments. The intervals are the tough things."

Robert Frost, Pulitzer Prize-winning poet

Again, there's truth to be found here. Not all of your writing is going to be great. Sometimes things will "click," and every word you type is going to be golden. Other times, your grocery list is more exciting than any story ideas you can come up with. It happens. Learn to deal with it. Allow yourself to write badly. Once you can do that, you'll be able to move ahead with projects. Besides, a lot of the real work is done in editing and rewriting.

"Baseball is too much of a sport to be called a business, and too much of a business to be called a sport."

Philip Wrigley, baseball executive and chewing gum manufacturer

Yes, writing can be a lot of fun. But for professionals, it's also a business. Keep that in mind when you are trying to get your work published. Editors and publishers are hoping to make money from your work. And they work too, work hard, so don't think you're doing everything while they're just sitting back and riding your coattails. Writing is a business. Editors and publishers have house payments and families to feed just like a lot of other people.

"In baseball, you don't know nothing."

Yogi Berra, baseball player and manager

In writing, there are a lot of people who offer advice. Most of them don't know what they're talking about. They can give you their personal experiences, and they can offer technical advice about writing, but no one can tell you what the next gigantic, best-selling novel is going to be. Not even the New York City publishers can do that. They might think they can, but they can't It's a crap shoot. It's a roll of the dice. Yes, writing well increases the chances of a book or article or story or poem of being published, but even writing like Shakespeare doesn't guarantee a particular piece of writing will be the next big thing. Just remember to pay attention and take everyone's advice with a grain of salt. And yes, even advice from me.

"Don't think. It can only hurt the ball club."

Crash Davis, catcher played by Kevin Costner in the movie "Bull Durham"

Sometimes thinking about a project you're working on can actually hurt the project. Maybe you're over thinking things. Maybe you need a little perspective. If a project is driving you batty, take a breather from it. Maybe a few hours or even a few days. Maybe a week or two. Then come back to it fresh. Unless you're writing the next great American novel or some extended book on a deep philosophical subject, give yourself a break and don't over think your writing.

"There have been only two geniuses in the world. Willie Mays and Willie Shakespeare."

Tallulah Bankhead, actress and avid New York Giants fan

'Nuff said!

10 historical facts about the Super Bowl

1. The very first Super Bowl was on January 15, 1967.
2. The most expensive television commercial air time for the entire year is during the Super Bowl because of the millions of people watching it.
3. On February 7, 2010, Super Bowl XLIV became the most watched television program in all of American history.
4. The Department of Homeland Security and the Secret Service have designated the Super Bowl as a National Special Security Event.
5. In 2011, the Pittsburgh Steelers will tie the Dallas Cowboys as the team with the most Super Bowl appearances, each team having been to the Super Bowl a total of eight times.
6. As of 2010, the Pittsburgh Steelers is the team with the most Super Bowl wins of all NFL teams. That total is six, though it might jump up to seven if the Steelers win Super Bowl XLV in 2011.
7. Four NFL teams have never made an appearance in the Super Bowl: the Detroit Lions, the Houston Texans, the Jacksonville Jaguars, and the Cleveland Browns.
8. The winning Super Bowl team earns the Vince Lombardi Trophy, named for famed coach Vince Lombardi.
9. The city to host the most Super Bowls is Miami, where ten Super Bowl games have been played. New Orleans is a close second with nine games played there.
10. The stadium that has hosted the most Super Bowls is the Louisiana Superdome, where seven Super Bowls have been played.

More football links

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10 historical facts about Pittsburgh Steelers football

10 historical facts about Pittsburgh Steelers football

1. The Pittsburgh Steelers were originally called the Pittsburgh Pirates in the team's first season.
2. When was that first season? Way back in 1933.
3. The name "Steelers" would not be applied to the team until 1940.
4. In 1943, the Steelers were merged for one year with the Philadelphia Eagles. Officially the name of this combined team was "Eagles," but fans often referred to it as the "Steagles." Why the merger? Because both teams had lost numerous players to military service for World War II, and each franchise alone did not have enough players to field a full team.
5. In 1944, the Steelers merged for one year with the Chicago Cardinals, and the team was called "Card-Pitt." The Steelers would go it alone and fully reclaim the name "Steelers in 1945.
6. Not counting the upcoming 2010 Super Bowl appearance, the Pittsburgh Steelers have gone to the Super Bowl a total of seven times. And they won six times. The team has had more wins at the Super Bowl than any other NFL team.
7. Only one team, the Dallas Cowboys, has been to the Super Bowl more than the Steelers. The Cowboys have been eight times, and the Steelers will tie that number in a few days at Super Bowl XLV.
8. The Steelers is the only team in NFL history to regularly place its logo on only one side of its players' helmets.
9. The Steelers were one of three original NFL teams, along with the Cleveland Browns and the Baltimore Colts, to join the new American Football Conference in 1970.
10. In 2007, the Steelers got their first official mascot, Steely McBeam. More than 700,000 fans of the team made suggestions for the mascot's name before a winner was picked.

10 baseball records not likely to be broken any time soon

1. Career batting average, .367: The infamous Ty Cobb has held this record since his retirement from the major leagues in 1928. Every now and then a modern player gets close to.400 for a season, but no one is likely to match Cobb's lifetime achievement any time soon.
2. Most home runs for a season, 73: The days of the steroids might be over. What with the scrutiny players are under nowadays for steroid use, it's not likely this 2001 record by Barry Bonds will be reached again or broken. But who knows? Their might be some power slugger out there waiting in the minors.
3. Most wins for a pitcher in a season, 60: Set by Charles Radbourn in 1884, this record is nearly impossible to ever be beaten unless the rules of baseball should change drastically. Since the live-ball era of baseball began in the 1920s, it's difficult for a pitcher to get even more than 30 wins a season.
4. Most strikeouts by a pitcher in a game, 21: Tom Cheney set this one back 1962 during a 16-inning game. It's not impossible this record could be matched or beaten someday, but most starting pitchers just aren't kept in the game that long, especially one that would run to 16 or more innings. Admittedly Roger Clemens, Randy Johnson and Kerry Wood have come close, each with 20 Ks.
5. Career most hits, 4,256: Pete Rose holds this one since his retirement from baseball in 1989. Pete played baseball for 26 years, and few players last that long in the game. So, this is another we're probably going to have for a long while.
6. Most stolen bases in a season, 138: This is another one of those old records that will likely stay around forever because the rules and play of the game have changed so much since it was set. Hugh Nicol has the honor of holding this record since 1887.
7. Lowest career ERA for a pitcher, 1.82: Ed Walsh has held this record since like forever. Unfortunately, the record is not considered official because the American League did not recognize ERA as an official statistic until 1913, and Walsh's career was winding down by then.
8. 2 grand slams in an inning: This is a fairly recent record, set in 1999 by Fernando Tatis. But the likelihood of this happening again has to be astronomical. The chances of one hitter getting two grand slams in a single inning? It's got to be 5 trillion to one.
9. Highest batting average for a season, .440: Hugh Duffy holds this one since the 1894 season. Again, with the game being so different now than it was back then, it's not likely this record will be erased soon. Still, there are plenty of players who keep trying.
10. Most career no-hitters, 7: Many consider Nolan Ryan to be the greatest pro baseball pitcher of all time, and it's not surprising considering he holds a slew of records, including this one. He also has the most career strikeouts at 5,714.

10 historical facts about the Durham Bulls baseball team

1. The leagues: The minor league Durham Bulls baseball team of Durham, North Carolina, has been in five different regional leagues over the years. In 1902, the team was a member of the North Carolina League. From 1913 to 1917, the team joined the North Carolina State League. From 1920 to 1933 and then again from 1936 to 1943, the Bulls were in the Piedmont League. The Bulls were in the Carolina League from 1945 to 1971 and then again from 1980 to 1997. Since 1998, the team has been in the International League.
2. No show: For 12 years, the Durham Bulls did not strictly exist, at least in name. In 1968, the team combined with a ball club from Raleigh, North Carolina, to form the Raleigh-Durham Mets. Then in 1971 the team folded altogether. It would not be until 1980 that the Durham Bulls were revived as a baseball franchise.
3. Honor: Through all the years, this baseball team has only retired one jersey number. That number is 18, and it belonged to Hall of Famer Joe Morgan who played for the Bulls in 1963.
4. Stardom: This baseball team became famous with the release of the 1988 movie Bull Durham, starring Kevin Costner, Tim Robbins and Susan Sarandon. The Bulls played a major part in the movie, almost a character unto itself. Costner played veteran catcher "Crash" Davis and Robbins played up-and-coming pitcher Ebby Calvin "Nuke" LaLoosh.
5. Mmm, steak: As is seen in the movie Bull Durham, there was a large wooden bull  sign on the outfield wall and if a batter hit the bull with a ball, the batter won a free steak. The tradition has continued, though the original wooden bull has been replaced.
6. New home: In 1995, the Durham Bulls got a new ballpark. The Durham Bulls Athletic Park became the new home of the Bulls, who had played nearly all home games in the older Durham Athletic Park, which still exists to this day and is used for concerts, festivals and college baseball games.
7. Blast from the past: In May 2010, the Bulls returned for one game to the old Durham Athletic Park, playing the Toledo Mud Hens. Plans are supposedly in the works for the Bulls to return to the old park for other games, perhaps one per season.
8. Early beginnings: The team that would eventually become the Bulls was known as the Durham Tobacconists and formed in 1902. Unfortunately, they played only one season before the league collapsed. But the team would live again, this time as the Durham Bulls, in 1912.
9. Major links: The Durham Bulls have been affiliate for ten different major league teams over the years. In 1933, the team was an affiliate of the New York Yankees. From 1936 to 1940, with the Cincinnati Reds. From 1941 to 1943, the Brooklyn Dodgers. From 1945 to 1947, the Boston Redsox. From 1948 to 1961, the Detroit Tigers. From 1962 to 1966, the Houston Astros. From 1967 to 1968, the New York Mets. From 1980 to 1997, the Atlanta Braves. From 1998 to present day, the Tampa Bay Rays.
10. Lots of class: The Bulls have played at five different class levels of baseball over the years. In 1902, then from 1913 to 1917 and then again in 1920, the team was Class D. From 1921 to 1931 and then from 1945 to 1948, Class C. From 1932 to 1933, 1936 to 1943, 1949 to 1962, the team was Class B. From 1963 to 1967 and 1980 to 1997, the Bulls were Single-A. From 1998 to present, the Durham Bulls are a Triple-A ball club.

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10 historical facts about Chillicothe Paints baseball

1. The Chillicothe Paints baseball team formed in 1993 in Chillicothe, Ohio.
2. From 1993 until 2008, the Paints were part of the independent Frontier League.
3. Since late 2008, between seasons, the Paints helped form and joined The Prospect League, a collegiate world bat league.
4. Dr. Chris Hanners has been the owner of the Chillicothe Paints since the team's creation.
5. The team's colors are red, white and navy blue.
6. During its Frontier League era, the Paints made it to the league championships a total of six times, but never won.
7. In 2010, the Chillicothe Paints finally won a championship, beating out the Danville Dans for the Prospect League Championship.
8. Brian Tollberg, a pitcher for the Paints, was the first Frontier League player to be picked up by a major league team. Tollberg went on to play for the San Diego Padres from 2000 to 2003.
9. The owner's father, Roger Hanners, was manager of the Paints from 1993 until his untimely death in 2000. His jersey number, 50, is one of seven retired by the team.
10. As of 2010, the Paints hosts an average of 1,800 fans during home games in VA Memorial Stadium in Chillicothe, Ohio.

10 historical facts about the Cincinnati Reds baseball team

1. Name: The original name of the Cincinnati Reds baseball team was the Cincinnati Red Stockings. The team initially formed in 1863, but did not become a professional team with all 10 players being paid a salary for playing until 1869, making the Reds the first professional baseball team in history.
2. Changes: The team did not drop the word "Stockings" from its name until 1890 when it officially became titled the Cincinnati Reds. Why the name change? Some historians argue about this, but the big switch for the Reds that year was the team moved from the now-defunct American Association into the National League. That move probably prompted the name change.
3. Another name: Yep, the Reds were known under another name at one time. For the 1953 to 1958 seasons, the team was known as the Cincinnati Redlegs. Why? Because of the fears of Communism in the 1950s and the association of the color red with Communism.
4. Stolen bases: Which player has the record for stolen bases in one season with the Cincinnati Reds? That would be Bob Bescher who stole a team-record 81 bases all the way back in 1911. Unfortunately forBescher, he did not hold the stolen base record for the year 1911 for the sport as a whole. That record goes to the infamous Ty Cobb then of the Detroit Tigers. Cobb had 83 stolen bases that year.
5. Home runs: The year is 1977. The player is George Foster. The number of home runs he earned that year? 52. And it still stands as a team record all these years later.
6. The field: Until 1970, the Reds played home games on one particular field in Cincinnati, Ohio. From 1884 to 1901, the field at the corner of Findlay Street and Western Avenue was known as League Park. In 1902, major improvements were made to the park and it became known as the Palace of the Fans until 1911. Then, beginning in 1912, the Reds had a major baseball park to play in, Redland Field, which in 1934 would be renamed Crosley Field. In 1970, the ballpark was torn down and the Cincinnati Reds moved to Riverfront Stadium, which later was known as Cinergy Field.
7. The new field: In 2003, the Great American Ballpark opened in Cincinnati to the Reds. The new ballpark was so huge that during construction part of the old Cinergy Field actually had to be demolished. Believe it or not, the name of the ballpark comes from the Great American Insurance Group.
8. World Series champs: The Reds have won the World Series a total of five times. The years: 1919, 1940, 1975, 1976, and 1990.
9. Victory and defeat: The biggest win the Reds have had over another team came in 1911 when the Reds defeated the Boston Braves 26-3. Unfortunately, the biggest defeat is more recent. In 2009, the Philadelphia Phillies beat the Reds 22 to 1.
10. The Big Red Machine: During the 1970s, the Cincinnati Reds were nicknamed the Big Red Machine, originally by the Cincinnati Enquirer newspaper. And the nickname was definitely earned. From 1970 to 1976, the Reds won two World Series titles, five National League Western Division titles, and four National League pennants.

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Who was the first African-American pro baseball player?

Jackie Robinson is often remembered by armchair historians and sports fans as the first African-American to play professional baseball, but the truth is more complex than that. It is true when Robinson debuted with the Brooklyn Dodgers in 1947 that he was the first African-American to play professional baseball in what is considered the modern era of baseball, but he was not the first African-American to ever play pro ball in the United States.

So who was the first?

Some questions remain about this topic.

Generally, Moses "Fleet" Walker is thought to be the first African-American to play professional baseball. History records that in 1883 Walker joined the minor league Toledo Blue Stockings, but then in 1884 the Toledo team joined the American Association, a major baseball league of the time. Walker, now considered a member of a major league team, played his first major league game on May 1, 1884, against the Louisville Eclipse.

It would seem Walker was the first African-American to play pro baseball. But the story does not end there.

Meet William Edward White.

White played a single major league baseball game. On June 21, 1879, he played as a substitute player for the Providence Grays.

The main question concerning White is this: Was he black? Was he African-American?

White was the son of a white plantation owner and a slave of mixed race. White having been born in 1860, was legally considered a slave at his birth.

Census records during White's lifetime are also confusing. The 1870 census records White as a mulatto. The 1900 and 1910 census records record White as white. However, the 1920 census records White as black.

Then there is the fact no one knows for sure when and where White died. He was known to be living in Chicago as of 1920.

So, who was the first African-American to play professional baseball? The answer somewhat depends upon one's own thoughts on the matter. Walker is generally accepted as the first black to play pro ball, but what about White?

Other baseball links

10 historical facts about the Cincinnati Reds

10 historical facts about the Durham Bulls

10 baseball records not likely to be broken anytime soon

10 historical facts about Green Bay Packers football

1. The Green Bay Packers became a football team in 1919, but did not join the pro football league until 1921.
2. Though this team only has three Super Bowl wins to this date, it has a total of 12 NFL World Championships going back way before the Super Bowl even existed.
3. The Packers are a non-profit, and they're also a community-owned team, the only such pro major-league team in the United States.
4. The trophy awarded each year for the Super Bowl is known as the Vince Lombardi Trophy. Vince Lombardi was the famous coach of the Packers from 1959 to 1967, and general manager in 1968.
5. In 1968, the city of Green Bay, Wisconsin, changed the name of Highland Avenue to Lombardi Avenue, where the Packers' Lambeau Field sits to this day.
6. The team was originally named for the Indian Packing Company, which supplied money for equipment and uniforms
7. The Packers' home stadium, Lambeau Field, opened its doors in 1957 and was originally called City Stadium.
8. Lambeau Field is named for Earl "Curly" Lambeau, one of the original founders of the Packers.
9. The Packers have one of the oldest team names currently still being used in the NFL.
10. The Dallas Cowboys and the Green Bay Packers faced off in the 1967 NFL Championship Game, a famous game that has come down through history known as the Ice Bowl because temperatures were as low as -15 degrees Fahrenheit.

10 historical facts about Toledo Mud Hens baseball

1. Baseball goes all the way back to 1883 in Toledo, but the team name "Mud Hens" was not used until 1896.
2. What exactly is a "mud hen?" It's a bird that lives in swampy areas. It's common name is "American Coot."
3. There was no baseball team in Toledo from 1956 to 1964. In 1955, the team that was then the Mud Hens moved to Wichita, Kansas, to become the Wichita Braves. But in 1964 the New York Yankees brought its AAA team, formerly the Richmond Virginians to Toledo and that team became the Mud Hens.
4. In 1914 and 1915, the Mud Hens temporarily moved to Cleveland. The move was to help out the Cleveland Indians with a league feud. The Indians' baseball park apparently had to have a game every day of the season for the Indians to avoid joining a new league. The plan worked and the threatening league died the next season.
5. When the team returned to Toledo in 1916, it was renamed the Toledo Iron Men. But that name only lasted for two years, and after that the "Mud Hens" title was born again.
6. Since 2004, every Mud Hens game has been on television thanks to the Buckeye Sports Cable Network.
7. Since 2002, the Toledo Mud Hens have played the team's home games in downtown Toledo at Fifth Third Field.
8. In the sitcom television show M*A*S*H*, the character known as Klinger (played by Jamie Farr) was from Toledo and a major fan of the Mud Hens. Farr was originally from Toledo, and he often wore Mud Hens hats or jerseys on the television program.
9. The Mud Hens have played at the AAA class level since 1946, today as an affiliate team to the Detroit Tigers.
10. In 2005 and 2006, the Toledo Mud Hens were the winners of the Governors' Cup, the annual championship game for the International League.