The Daily Dose/June 12, 2024
By Gaylon Kent – America’s Funniest Guy™
Leading Off
Notes from around the human experience.
PLAY BALL: Today is the 144th anniversary of the first perfect game in major league history, by Lee Richmond of Worcester in an 1880 National League game. There have been 23 more thrown since, and it remains a rare accomplishment, rarer even, than a goal being scored in soccer.
If Dry, Technical Matter Is Inevitable…: Any perfect game is an extraordinary accomplishment, but one in the 19th century might be even more so because the game was played under different rules, rules which both benefited and hindered pitchers.
Here We Go: For example, eight balls for a walk helped, as did balls being caught on a bounce being an out, something Richmond had four of in his perfect game.
Fly In The Ointment: Richmond, though, was hindered by the rule that required him to pitch underhand and the fact that gloves were not common. The ones that were used were meant to cover the palm and were not the baskets they have today.
Dry, Technical Matter: The question we’ve always had is how they pitched underhanded: was it like slow-pitch softball, where there’s a high arc, or was it like fast-pitch softball, where it’s zipped in at a high speed? Few know baseball history like we do, and we’ve never seen it clarified.
To Boldly Go…: So, it now being the 3rd decade of the 21st century, we googled the matter and found some videos of vintage baseball games, and they pitched like it was slow-pitch softball. Now, this wasn’t definitive, but it does make sense because batters then could request a high or a low pitch.
The Bottom Line: Richmond’s perfect game – 27 up and 27 down – as well as Monte Ward’s five days later, remain almost unfathomable feats. Taking into consideration the fact they pitched underhanded and had to deliver the batter’s requested pitch and the fact gloves were for protection and not for catching is balanced somewhat by the rules benefiting pitchers, but not too much. They remain incredible accomplishments.
Today At The Site
Writing worth reading. Usually.
The Diary of a Nobody – Sparrow reports the hotel is drying out. Today’s Diary.
The parking lot flooding (PLF) was all but gone tonite…
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On This Date
Extra, extra, read all about it.
In 1963 – American civil rights leader Medgar Evers, 37, is murdered, shot to death in front of his home in Jackson, Mississippi. Byron De La Beckwith, a KKK member, was arrested for the murders, with his first two trials resulting in hung juries. In 1994, De La Beckwith was tried and convicted and sentenced to life in prison. An appeal to the Mississippi Supreme Court upheld the conviction and the US Supreme Court declined to hear the case. De laBeckwith died in prison in 2001, age 80.
In 1880 – Lee Richmond of the Worcester Ruby Legs throws the first perfect game in major league history in a 1-0 win over the Cleveland Blues at the Worcester Agricultural Fairgrounds. The rules were different back then: the pitchers pitched underhand from a flat area whose front edge was 45 feet from home plate, and in the fifth inning what would’ve been a hit turned out to have the right fielder throwing the batter out at first base. Worcester left the National League in 1882 and the Blues in 1884.
In 1971 – The Honey Cone is at #1 on Billboard’s Hot 100 for the only week with Want Ads. It was the third of seven chart singles for the group, their first of four Top 40 hits, and remains their only Top 10 song. The song was in its third and final consecutive week at #1 on Billboard’s soul chart and was its 13th-biggest pop song of the year and their 3rd-biggest soul song. The song featured 17-year-old Ray Parker, Jr, on guitar.
Some Philosophy Crap
The wisdom of the ages. Whatever.
Every living creature on this earth can do something great.
Minnesota Fats
Answer To The Last Trivia Question
Knowledge is power.
The other artists besides Santana to have had multiple songs spend at least ten weeks at #1 on the Billboard Hot 100 are: Adele, Drake, the Black Eyed Peas, Boys II Men, Marian Carey, and Pharrell. The Black Eyed Peas are the only act to have one such song replace the other at #1, and Drake and Carey are the only ones to do it three times.
Today’s Stumper
Match wits with Gaylon. It’s not that hard.
What was Medgar Evers’ position at the time of his assassination? – Answer next time
