The Southpaw

The '27 Yankees or the '43 Grays? You decide.

The short but excellent documentary below, "Homestead Grays: Gone But Not Forgotten," has two stars: the Grays themselves, and author Brad Snyder, who tells much of the story that illuminates the silent footage. The Grays were based in Pittsburgh from 1910 to 1939, and moved to Washington, D.C. in 1940. Snyder argues, not in this documentary but elsewhere, that the 1943 Grays were at least as good as, if not better than, the great 1927 Yankees.

His argument has a lot of merit, and Snyder, author of the authoritative and popular team history, Beyond the Shadow of the Senators : The Untold Story of the Homestead Grays and the Integration of Baseball, knows of what he speaks. The 1943 Grays had a lineup that included the late, great Buck Leonard (often referred to as "the black Lou Gehrig"), Josh Gibson (who hit more dingers at Griffith Stadium in '43 than the entire Senators lineup), Cool Papa Bell, Jud Wilson, and ace Ray Brown, all Hall of Famers. While battling rivals like Satchel Paige's Kansas City Monarchs, the Grays won their ninth straight pennant that year and then defeated the Birmingham Black Barons in the Negro World Series.

"A Perfect Pitch" -- a near-perfect short-film gem

Good baseball movies are rare; good short ones (of the fictional variety) almost impossible to find. In this 18-minute flick, directed by Bruce Worrilow, small and unathletic Stuart Warren is forced to play on his father's Little League baseball team. The problem is that it's also the team of his worst enemy: his brother.

Don Cardwell throws no-hitter in Cubs debut -- video of final outs

Don Cardwell was only 24 years old on May 15, 1960, but he already had three seasons as a major league starter under his belt, all of them losing ones with the Phillies. But maybe things were turning around. Just two days earlier Philadelphia had swapped Cardwell and Ed Bouchee to the Chicago Cubs for Tony Taylor and Cal Neeman. It wasn't exactly a banner trade -- both the Phils and Cubs were second division teams, and neither would ride this exchange to a pennant.

Still, there was some real excitement in the air when Cardwell took the mound for his first appearance as a Cub. He was facing the Cardinals at Wrigley Field in the second game of a doubleheader. Wrigley was packed with 33,543 fans eager to see the Midwest rivals go at it. The Cards had won the first contest.

In the second, Cardwell retired the first batter, walked Alex Grammas, and then put down 26 straight for a no-hitter. He struck out seven, including Stan Musial, who appeared as a pinch-hitter in the 8th inning. In the process, Cardwell made the greatest pitching debut with a team in Major League history. No other pitcher had thrown a no-hitter in his first appearance in a new uniform.

As a result, Cardwell got an immediate $2,000 boost in salary, to $10,000. He'd go on to finish the year with a 9-16 record, and much later in his career would start 21 games for the 1969 Mets.

Enjoy the remarkably crisp video of the Cardinals' ninth below -- it includes a couple of heart-stoppers.

Charlie Brown's secret baseball scandal

 I only recently found out that for three years, from 1983 to 1985, CBS ran a Saturday morning cartoon series called "The Charlie Brown and Snoopy Show." Based on plot lines developed in the daily strips, it probably didn't produce any "classic" Peanuts material, though I could be wrong -- my knowledge of the show is thin at best.

However, there seems to be plenty of good material that survives on DVD (and on YouTube, of course). For example, in the brief, five-minute episode below, good old Chuck thinks he's finally a winner on the diamond ... but later finds out he's unknowingly been ensnarled in the kind of scandal that Kennesaw Mountain Landis (who Charlie Brown actually mentions in the episode) and Bart Giamatti knew about all too well. Enjoy.

I Love the 30s: Babe Ruth

The Babe of the 30s ... remembered in the 40s. A spoof of VH1's "I Love the 80s."

George Brett, Billy Martin, and a Seven Minute Video of the Pine Tar Incident

On July 24, 1983 at Yankee Stadium, George Brett slammed what appeared to be a go-ahead homer with two outs in the top of the ninth. The Yankees had been ahead 4-3, and with two outs Royals shortstop U L Washington singled to center. Brett was hot, coming up to face Rich Gossage with two hits already in the contest. The first pitch he hit deep down the left field line, but foul. The second pitch cleared the right field fence by a healthy margin. Home run. Royals up 5-4.

But then the Yankees ask the umpires to examine the bat. And there's pine tar going far up the barrel, which is illegal. When Brett is ruled out, the game is over, and Brett comes storming out of the dugout, seemingly determined to strangle home plate umpire Tim McClelland, who's in the middle of his first full major league season. Talk about trial by fire. Brett's restrained by another ump and then his teammates, but it's not easy.

"We noticed the pine tar on his bat in Kansas City," Yanks manager Billy Martin said after the game, referring to an earlier visit the Bombers had made to Kansas City. "You don't call him on it if he makes an out. After he hit the home run, I went out and said he's using an illegal bat. It's a terrible rule, but if it had happened to me I would have accepted it," Martin said. "It turned out to be a lovely Sunday afternoon."

Said Gossage: "I can sympathize with George, ''but not that much."

The Royals challenged the call and protested the game. Four days later, A.L. President Lee MacPhail, the American League president, did something he had never done before in his 10 years in office: he upheld a protest. The game would resume nearly a month later, with the Royals leading 5-4 and up at bat with two outs in the top of the ninth.

Brett's reaction? "I'm happy," he said, "but I hope it doesn't mean anything in the standings." No worries, George. The Royals finished second in the A.L. West, 20 games behind the White Sox. The Yankees finished third in the A.L. East, 7 games behind the Orioles. The game was finished on August 18, with the Royals holding on to their lead for a 5-4 win.

Clendenon's Magical Moment

October 16, 1969. Fifth game of the World Series between the mighty Orioles and the Miracle Mets. Shea Stadium is, naturally, packed, with 57,397 fans wedged in, like a mighty bunch of exuberant sardines. The Mets are up 3-1 in the Series, but it's not over. The O's tagged Mets starter Jerry Koosman for three runs in the top of the third, and now, in the bottom of the sixth, the Mets still trail 3-0. Jones gets hit by a pitch -- the famous shoe polish play. Next up: Donn Clendenon, who's already slammed two homers in this World Series. Clendenon patiently works Orioles pitcher Dave McNally to a 2-2 count, then slams the next pitch for a homer off the auxiliary scoreboard in left field.

That was the charge the Mets needed. They went on to a 5-3 win to take the World Series. Koosman went nine innings and won his second game of the Series. And Clendenon, who was named World Series MVP, ended up setting a bunch of records for a five-game series: homers (3), total bases (15), and most extra bases on long hits (10). He also tied records for most extra-base hits, with 4, and most putouts in an inning (he played first base) with 3. Clendenon had started the year with the lowly expansion Montreal Expos, and ended it at the top. He was 34 years old, and didn't have much longer to go in his career, playing only a few hundred more games over the next few years.

But what a show he put on in Oct. 1969.

Jon Stewart Whiffs with "Three Strikes" Baseball Sitcom

Everything seemed to be perfect: Jon Stewart, executive producer. Writers from "King of the Hill," "Frasier," and "The Larry Sanders Show." Experienced, no-name actors, some who actually look decent on the diamond. But it wasn't to be. Comedy Central declined to pick up "Three Strikes," which was the first sitcom produced by Stewart's Bus Boy Productions, so it looks like the Fresno Floods have played their last game.

Of course, there's always a chance another network will give it a look. I hope so -- there are some genuine laughs in this pilot, entitled "The Sex Boat," and some characters with real potential. Which is more than you can say for most shows in prime time.

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