There’s a great scene in Field of Dreams, though probably less memorable than the one where Ray Kinsella is playing catch with his dad or where Shoeless Joe first appears. It’s the scene in which Archibald “Moonlight” Graham gets his only at bat among major league ballplayers. The elder Graham, played by Burt Lancaster, has […]
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The Problem with “The DH Years”
Since 1973, the Designated Hitter rule, which allows a non-fielding player to bat in place of the pitcher in baseball’s American League, has certainly changed the game. There is a lot of ambivalence surrounding the DH, and I will not begin to try to deal with whether the rule should be changed. What I will […]
History of Baseball
Origins and Early Development: 1845 – The Knickerbocker Rules: Alexander Cartwright, and the Knickerbocker Base Ball Club of New York codified the rules of baseball. The game began to be very organized. Some of the essential constituents brought about by the Knickerbocker Rules included a diamond-shaped infield with bases. Professionalization and Expansion: Major Milestones and […]
The Heart and Soul of Rugby: A Journey Through Its Storied Past
Origins and Early Development: Formation and Standardization:1871—Rugby Football Union (RFU) Formed: Rugby football was formalized through the establishment of a Rugby Football Union (RFU) in England in the year 1871. The RFU standardized the rules of the game, which really set rugby football apart from association football, otherwise known as soccer. Splits into Codes: Professionalization […]
History of Track and Field
Origins and Early Development: Modern Revival and Standardization:19th Century: Revival in England – This is where the modern revival of the sport took place. Schools and universities began organizing athletic competitions, probably due to the influence that ideas originating from the ancient Olympic Games had. 1866 – Establishment of the Amateur Athletic Club: The Amateur […]
The Contender, the Rookie, and the Trailblazer:Sports as a Meritocracy
The year is 2005, and reality television has finally gone too far. After shows about flatulent fake fiancées, castaways driven to eating rats, and recipients of radical facial reconstructions, I think we’ve made it to a point where we all can agree we shouldn’t have reality TV interfering. After toying with the very idea of love and […]
Suspense vs. Purity:A Game Theory Perspective on Timed Sports
There’s almost nothing more exciting in the sports world than a buzzer-beating jump shot, a Hail Mary pass, or a last second wrist shot. We all know that when time is running out in a close game, we may be in for something very special. Knowing that the end of the game is near can […]
Bo Kimble & Greg Anthony
On ESPN Classic the other night was a game that I found really intriguing: a 1989 preseason NIT matchup between UNLV and Loyola Marymount. I found it interesting that ESPN chose to replay this game because the two teams would meet in a much more meaningful game later that season in the NCAA tournament. But […]
The Greatest Sports Year: 1991
Sports Illustrated magazine, just after 1998 was safely in the rear-view mirror, said that that year was the greatest sports year ever. Ninety-eight was a phenomenal year, sure, with two sluggers chasing the greatest record in sports and Michael Jordan exiting basketball with a championship-winning shot. But it’s possible that 1998 was not even the best […]
Baseball’s Vices
Columnist George Will has pointed out that baseball is a game you can’t play with your teeth gritted. Which is true. But don’t let that lead you to the conclusion that baseball players are more easy-going than other athletes. To replace the “in the trenches” intensity of more physical sports, baseball players adhere to a […]