The Trolley Dodger

There’s a New York Times op-ed this morning from a couple of guys at Cornell who decided to figure out just how impossible Joe DiMaggio’s 56-game hitting streak was by running simulations of every at-bat of every year from 1871 to 2005. Oh, and they did it 10,000 times.

In essence, we programmed the computer to construct an enormous set of parallel baseball universes, all with the same players but subject to the vagaries of chance in each one.

They wanted to see how likely it was for any player to match that streak. The results? Surprising!

In each of these simulated histories, somebody holds the record for the longest hitting streak. We tabulated who that player was, when he did it, and how long his streak was.

And suddenly the unlikely becomes likely: we get a very long streak each time we run baseball history. [...] The streaks ranged from 39 games at the shortest, to a freakish baseball universe where the record was a remarkable (and remarkably rare) 109 games.

Check out the entire article at “A Journey to Baseball’s Alternate Universe”, by Samuel Arbesman and Steven Strogatz.

(via Slashdot)

Carl Erskine, who pitched the very first game at Holman Stadium, plays the National Anthem for the very last time at Dodgertown.

I happened to come across Flickr user oldballparks today thanks to a photo of Ebbets Field in the 1950s (above). At the moment, there are not quite 50 photos posted of various teams and ballparks, including a few others from Dodger history: Washington Park (home of the Superbas), the LA Coliseum, and the 1912 Brooklyn Dodgers team photo.

But of especial coolness are a series showing Ebbets Field under construction and brand-spanking new:

• Ebbets field under construction, 1913
• Ebbets Field, March 20, 1913
• Ebbets Field just after opening, 1913
• First game at Ebbets Field, April 5, 1913

Meanwhile, up here in the 21st Century, Flickr user eleveline has a set of pics from yesterday’s historical game versus the Padres in Beijing, China.

The Dodgers sure have come a long way.

The seeds for this problem were planted eight years ago.

“Another day, another injured third baseman”

Tony Abreu, who yesterday played in his first game after being out of action with an abdominal injury, now has a gluteus injury (a pain in the, well, you know)….Joe and Ned met this morning, and pursuing a 3B from outside the organization was discussed, but don’t look for it to happen until later in the spring, after all other options are explored — and those options DO include trying Delwyn Young and Chin-lung Hu at 3B.

From a Wall Street Journal article dated December 17, 2004:

Adrian Beltre ended his run with the Los Angeles Dodgers, rejecting a six-year, $60 million deal with additional incentives for five years and $64 million from the Seattle Mariners. That robs the Dodgers’ lineup of 48 home runs and 121 RBIs supplied from a player who’s just 25, and has already-annoyed fans hopping mad.

From an LA Times article dated Mar 12, 2000:

Unable to reach agreement on a multiyear deal, the Dodgers renewed Adrian Beltre’s contract Saturday, upsetting Beltre’s agent and further complicating a difficult situation.

Facing Saturday’s major league player-signing deadline, the Dodgers renewed Beltre’s contract at $330,000 this season. Beltre, who made $220,000 last season, was given a one-year salary higher than most second-year players have received from the team, but that didn’t satisfy [Scott] Boras.

Assisted by the Major League Players Assn., Boras is trying to have Beltre declared a free agent because the Dodgers violated major league rules by signing him before his 16th birthday. The commissioner’s office punished the Dodgers by forcing them to suspend operations in Beltre’s homeland of the Dominican Republic, but the club retained Beltre’s rights.

Hey, if you are by chance up tomorrow morning at 4:30 AM Pacific, and get the Fox Movie Channel, be sure to check out It Happened in Flatbush (1942). The description: “A blacklisted player becomes a baseball team manager.” It includes some real game footage from the 1941 World Series games at Ebbets Field.

It’s on again on March 6 at 7 AM, so not very convenient times. :)

Cast and Crew: Jane Darwell, Sara Allgood, Ray Mccarey, Lloyd Nolan, Carole Landis, William Frawley

Yeah, this guy was a little intimidating:

SI.com has a cool feature that allows you to browse Sports Illustrated covers of days gone by, and even to search by team. Like this for the Dodgers, showing 41 covers with Dodgers on them, from Don Drysdale on August 20, 1962, to Sandy Koufax on July 12, 1999, and lots in between. You can even buy covers at sicovers.com.

Fascinating glimpse back at the time leading up to Jackie Robinson joining the Dodgers, what Red Barber calls a “stormy period,” and at the decision he had to make (due to the upcoming chaos and controversy) whether to continue being their broadcaster or not.

A bit of fun from (gulp) 28 years ago: Dodgers vs Astros 1980.

At Dodger Stadium today, 200 kids will hear the story of Jackie Robinson, in honor of his 89th birthday.

School children from Mayberry Elementary, Atwater Avenue Elementary, 42nd Street Elementary School, Jackie Robinson Academy, and Roynon Elementary School along with Jackie Robinson Foundation scholars, will learn first-hand about Robinson’s remarkable contributions not only to professional baseball, but also to the civil rights movement. The civil rights pioneer paved the way for equal rights and opportunities regardless of race. Robinson’s story and legacy will be told by relatives, teammates, and others tied to the Dodgers’ diverse history and culture.

If you happen to be up really late tonight, and you have the Turner Classic Movies cable channel, you might like to catch The Jackie Robinson Story (1950), starring Jackie as himself, along with Ruby Dee as Rae Robinson, Minor Watson as Branch Rickey, Louise Beavers as Jackie’s mother, and Richard Lane as Clay Hopper.

It’s on at 3 AM Pacific, 6 AM Eastern.