History of American Baseball FINAL EXAM (Bisson/BelmontU)

Henry Chadwick

Former British cricket player who embraced the game of baseball and became a sportswriter for the New York Clipper writing about the game. He was credited with inventing the batting average and box score and eventually became known as "Father Baseball"

What team featured Hall of Famers Joe Kelley, Dan Brouthers, Willie Keeler, John McGraw, Wilbert Robinson and Hughie Jennings?

The Baltimore Orioles

The Miracle of Coogan's Bluff

The Giants' late-season rally and 2-to-1-game playoff victory, capped by Thomson's moment of triumph, are collectively known in baseball lore as "The Miracle of Coogan's Bluff", a descriptor coined by the legendary sports columnist Red Smith.

Which great pitcher was called the "The Big Train?" For which team did he pitch?

Walter Perry Johnson of the Washington Senators

Connie Mack

part-owner of the Philadelphia Athletics. He was Ban Johnson's idea of the perfect manager for the American League-he was sober, well dressed, and never argued with the umpires. His teams would embody the first dynasty of the American League.

Expansion Era

refers to the Major League Baseball seasons played since 1961 (or sometimes since 1962), as the changes brought by expansion, such as the lengthening of the schedule, and a few years later the addition of new postseason rounds, are considered to have significantly altered overall playing conditions.

"Fernandomania"

An instant media icon, Valenzuela drew large crowds from Los Angeles' Latino community every time he pitched and triggered high demand across the country for his rookie 1981 Topps and Fleer baseball cards. The craze surrounding Valenzuela came to be known as "Fernandomania."

Casey Stengel

(1889-1975) He managed the Yankees to 10 pennants and 7 championships, including a record five in a row from '49-'53. The "Old Perfessor" did not use a set lineup or pitching rotation, instead using a bewildering number of platoon arrangements. Somehow this did not undermine his defense, as Stengel's Yankees lead the league in double plays six times. Remembered as a player for his two game-winning homeruns, one an inside-the-parker, against the Yankees in the 1923 World Series, off the field his vaudevillian personality involved him in many famous incidents. When in 1958 he was called in front of the Senate Subcommittee on Antitrust and Monopoly to testify on why baseball should be exempt from antitrust regulation, he testified with an hour's worth of classic "Stengelese." When the baffled politicians let Stengel go and called on Mickey Mantle to answer their questions, he replied, "My views are about the same as Casey's."

Marvin Miller

(April 14, 1917 - November 27, 2012) was an American baseball executive who served as the Executive Director of the Major League Baseball Players Association (MLBPA) from 1966 to 1982. Under Miller's direction, the players' union was transformed into one of the strongest unions in the United States. In 1992, Red Barber said, "Marvin Miller, along with Babe Ruth and Jackie Robinson, is one of the two or three most important men in baseball history." Miller was selected to the National Baseball Hall of Fame in December 2019, for induction in 2020.

Rogers Hornsby

(April 27, 1896 - January 5, 1963), nicknamed "The Rajah", was an American baseball infielder, manager, and coach who played 23 seasons in Major League Baseball (MLB). He played for the St. Louis Cardinals (1915-1926, 1933), New York Giants (1927), Boston Braves (1928), Chicago Cubs (1929-1932), and St. Louis Browns (1933-1937). He was named the National League (NL)'s Most Valuable Player (MVP) twice, and was a member of one World Series championship team.

Christy Mathewson

(August 12, 1880 - October 7, 1925), nicknamed "Big Six", "The Christian Gentleman", "Matty", and "The Gentleman's Hurler", was a Major League Baseball right-handed pitcher, who played 17 seasons with the New York Giants. He stood 6 ft 1 in (1.85 m) tall and weighed 195 pounds (88 kg). He was among the most dominant pitchers in baseball history, and ranks in the all-time top 10 in several key pitching categories, including wins, shutouts, and ERA. In 1936, Mathewson was elected into the Baseball Hall of Fame as one of its first five members.

Ted Williams

(August 30, 1918 - July 5, 2002) was an American professional baseball player and manager. He played his entire 19-year Major League Baseball (MLB) career, primarily as a left fielder, for the Boston Red Sox from 1939 to 1960; his career was interrupted by military service during World War II and the Korean War. Nicknamed "Teddy Ballgame", "The Kid", "The Splendid Splinter", and "The Thumper", Williams is regarded as one of the greatest hitters in baseball history.

Branch Rickey

(December 20, 1881 - December 9, 1965) was an American baseball player and sports executive. Rickey was instrumental in breaking Major League Baseball's color barrier by signing black player Jackie Robinson. He also created the framework for the modern minor league farm system, encouraged the Major Leagues to add new teams through his involvement in the proposed Continental League, and introduced the batting helmet. He was posthumously elected to the Baseball Hall of Fame in 1967.

George Herman Ruth

(February 6, 1895 - August 16, 1948) was an American professional baseball player whose career in Major League Baseball (MLB) spanned 22 seasons, from 1914 through 1935. Nicknamed "The Bambino" and "The Sultan of Swat", he began his MLB career as a star left-handed pitcher for the Boston Red Sox, but achieved his greatest fame as a slugging outfielder for the New York Yankees. Ruth established many MLB batting (and some pitching) records, including career home runs (714), runs batted in (RBIs) (2,213), bases on balls (2,062), slugging percentage (.690), and on-base plus slugging (OPS) (1.164); the last two still stand as of 2019. Ruth is regarded as one of the greatest sports heroes in American culture and is considered by many to be the greatest baseball player of all time. In 1936, Ruth was elected into the Baseball Hall of Fame as one of its "first five" inaugural members.

Curt Flood

(January 18, 1938 - January 20, 1997) was an American baseball player. He was a center fielder who played 15 seasons in the major leagues for the Cincinnati Redlegs, St. Louis Cardinals, and Washington Senators. Flood was a three-time All-Star, a Gold Glove winner for seven consecutive seasons, and batted over .300 in six seasons.[1] He led the National League (NL) in hits (211) in 1964 and in singles, 1963, 1964, and 1968. Flood also led the National League in putouts as center fielder four times and in fielding percentage as center fielder three times. He retired with the third most games in center field (1683) in NL history, trailing Willie Mays and Richie Ashburn. **challenged the reserve clause

Jackie Robinson

(January 31, 1919 - October 24, 1972) was an American professional baseball player who became the first African American to play in Major League Baseball (MLB) in the modern era. Robinson broke the baseball color line when he started at first base for the Brooklyn Dodgers on April 15, 1947. When the Dodgers signed Robinson, they heralded the end of racial segregation in professional baseball that had relegated black players to the Negro leagues since the 1880s. Robinson was inducted into the Baseball Hall of Fame in 1962.

Joe Jackson

(July 16, 1887 - December 5, 1951), nicknamed "Shoeless Joe", was an American outfielder who played Major League Baseball (MLB) in the early 1900s. He is remembered for his performance on the field and for his association with the Black Sox Scandal, in which members of the 1919 Chicago White Sox participated in a conspiracy to fix the World Series. As a result of Jackson's association with the scandal, Kenesaw Mountain Landis, Major League Baseball's first commissioner, banned Jackson from playing after the 1920 season despite his exceptional play in the 1919 World Series, in which he led both teams in several statistical categories and set a World Series record with 12 base hits. Since then, Jackson's guilt has been fiercely debated with new accounts claiming his innocence and urging Major League Baseball to reconsider his banishment. As a result of the scandal, Jackson's career was abruptly halted in his prime, ensuring him a place in baseball lore.

Joe DiMaggio

(November 25, 1914 - March 8, 1999), nicknamed "Joltin' Joe" and "The Yankee Clipper", was an American baseball center fielder who played his entire 13-year career in Major League Baseball for the New York Yankees. Born to Italian immigrants in California, he is widely considered one of the greatest baseball players of all time, and is perhaps best known for his 56-game hitting streak (May 15 - July 16, 1941), a record that still stands. 3x MVP winner

"The Iron Horse"

(born Heinrich Ludwig Gehrig;June 19, 1903 - June 2, 1941) was an American professional baseball first baseman who played 17 seasons in Major League Baseball (MLB) for the New York Yankees (1923-1939). Gehrig was renowned for his prowess as a hitter and for his durability, which earned him his nickname "The Iron Horse". He was an All-Star seven consecutive times, a Triple Crown winner once, an American League (AL) Most Valuable Player twice,and a member of six World Series champion teams. He had a career .340 batting average, .632 slugging average, and a .447 on base average. He hit 493 home runs and had 1,995 runs batted in (RBI). He still has the highest ratio of runs scored plus runs batted in per 100 plate appearances (35.08) and per 100 games (156.7) among Hall of Fame players. In 1939, he was elected to the Baseball Hall of Fame and was the first MLB player to have his uniform number (4) retired by a team.

Adrian Anson

Adrian Constantine Anson (April 17, 1852 - April 14, 1922), nicknamed "Cap" (for "Captain") and "Pop", was an American Major League Baseball (MLB) first baseman. Including his time in the National Association (NA), he played a record 27 consecutive seasons. Anson was regarded as one of the greatest players of his era and one of the first superstars of the game. He spent most of his career with the Chicago Cubs franchise (then known as the "White Stockings" and later the "Colts"), serving as the club's manager, first baseman and, later in his tenure, minority owner. He led the team to six National League pennants in the 1880s. Anson was one of baseball's first great hitters, and probably the first to tally over 3,000 career hits.

Who was Harry Frazee and why has his name become infamous among New England fans?

Boston Red Sox Owner and Theatrical Producer/ "The Curse of Great Bambino" he sold Babe Ruth to the Yankees

Walter O'Malley

Co-inventor, with James G. Mason, of the idea of a sport management curriculum. Also owner of the Brooklyn and Los Angeles Dodgers from 1943 until his death in 1979.

Harry and George Wright

George Wright (January 28, 1847 - August 21, 1937) was an American shortstop in professional baseball. He played for the 1869 Cincinnati Red Stockings, the first fully professional team, when he was the game's best player. He then played for the Boston Red Stockings, helping the team win six league championships from 1871 to 1878. His older brother Harry Wright managed both Red Stockings teams and made George his cornerstone. George was elected to the Baseball Hall of Fame in 1937.

John McGraw

Hard-nosed former player for the Baltimore Orioles who took over as manager of the NY Giants in 1902 where he remained for 30 years.

free agency

In professional sports, an athlete's ability to renegotiate his/her contract with his/her existing team or with another team

Alexander Cartwright

Inventor of baseball; organized the Knickerbocker Base Ball Club of New York in 1845.

24 May 1935

MLB holds the first night game; Cincinnati Reds vs Philadelphia Phillies

MLBPA

Major League Baseball Players Association

Dan Brouthers

May 8, 1858 - August 2, 1932) was an American first baseman in Major League Baseball whose career spanned the period from 1879 to 1896, with a brief return in 1904. Nicknamed "Big Dan" for his size, he was 6 feet 2 inches (1.88 m) and weighed 207 pounds (94 kg), which was large by 19th-century standards. Recognized as the first great slugger in baseball history, and among the greatest sluggers of his era, he held the record for career home runs from 1887 to 1889, with his final total of 106 tying for the fourth most of the 19th century. His career slugging percentage of .519 remained the Major League record for a player with at least 4,000 at bats until Ty Cobb edged ahead of him in 1922. At the time of his initial retirement, he also ranked second in career triples (205), and third in runs batted in (1,296) and hits.

Walter Johnson

November 6, 1887 - December 10, 1946), nicknamed "Barney" and "The Big Train", was an American professional baseball player and manager. He played his entire 21-year baseball career in Major League Baseball as a right-handed pitcher for the Washington Senators from 1907 to 1927. He later served as manager of the Senators from 1929 through 1932 and of the Cleveland Indians from 1933 through 1935.

Bowie Kuhn

October 28, 1926 - March 15, 2007) was an American lawyer and sports administrator who served as the fifth Commissioner of Major League Baseball from February 4, 1969 to September 30, 1984. He served as legal counsel for Major League Baseball owners for almost 20 years prior to his election as commissioner. Kuhn was inducted into the National Baseball Hall of Fame in 2008.

A.G. Spalding

Owner and coach of the Red Stocking, and owned an equipment company

John Montgomery Ward

Played for NY Giants, only man in major league w/ 100 wins and 2000 hits, lawyer and educated man, part of Baseball Brotherhood (union of payers)

final offer salary arbitration

Players and clubs negotiate over salaries, primarily based on comparable players who have signed contracts in recent seasons. A player's salary can indeed be reduced in arbitration -- with 20 percent being the maximum amount by which a salary can be cut.

Peter Seitz/Seitz Decision

Seitz decision was a ruling by arbitrator Peter Seitz (died October 17, 1983)[1] on December 23, 1975, which declared that Major League Baseball (MLB) players became free agents upon playing one year for their team without a contract, effectively nullifying baseball's reserve clause. The ruling was issued in regard to pitchers Andy Messersmith and Dave McNally.

Who was the last major league player to hit .400 in a season?

Ted Williams

Kenesaw Mountain Landis

The first baseball commissioner, he was a federal judge known for honesty and toughness. He said that no player who even thought about throwing a game would ever be able to play pro baseball. He banned several White Sox players, including Shoeless Joe Jackson, from ever being inducted into the Hall of Fame. His words and tough actions led to people having confidence in their heroes once again. He and Babe Ruth together brought back baseball's popularity.

batting average

The number of hits divided by the times at bat

Pete Rose (Scandal)

also known by his nickname "Charlie Hustle", is an American former professional baseball player and manager. Rose played in Major League Baseball (MLB) from 1963 to 1986, and managed the Cincinnati Reds from 1984 to 1989. In August 1989 (his last year as a manager and three years after retiring as a player), Rose was penalized with permanent ineligibility from baseball amidst accusations that he gambled on baseball games while he played for and managed the Reds; the charges of wrongdoing included claims that he bet on his own team. In 1991, the Baseball Hall of Fame formally voted to ban those on the "permanently ineligible" list from induction, after previously excluding such players by informal agreement among voters. After years of public denial, Rose admitted in 2004 that he bet on baseball and on the Reds. The issue of Rose's possible reinstatement and election to the Hall of Fame remains contentious throughout baseball.

Allan "Bud" Selig

an American baseball executive who currently serves as the Commissioner Emeritus of Baseball. Previously, he served as the ninth Commissioner of Baseball. He initially served as the acting commissioner beginning in 1992 before being named the official commissioner in 1998. Selig oversaw baseball through the 1994 strike, the introduction of the wild card, interleague play, and the merging of the National and American Leagues under the Office of the Commissioner. He was instrumental in organizing the World Baseball Classic in 2006. Selig also introduced revenue sharing. He is credited for the financial turnaround of baseball during his tenure with a 400 percent increase in the revenue of MLB and annual record breaking attendance

Sandy Koufax

an American former professional baseball left-handed pitcher. He pitched 12 seasons for the Brooklyn/Los Angeles Dodgers of Major League Baseball (MLB) from 1955 to 1966. Koufax, at age 36 in 1972, became the youngest player ever elected to the Baseball Hall of Fame. He has been hailed as one of the greatest pitchers in baseball history

A. Bartlett Giamatti

an American professor of English Renaissance literature, the president of Yale University, and the seventh Commissioner of Major League Baseball. Giamatti served as Commissioner for only five months before dying suddenly of a heart attack. He is the shortest-tenured baseball commissioner in the sport's history and the only holder of the office not to preside over a full Major League Baseball season. Giamatti negotiated the agreement resolving the Pete Rose betting scandal by permitting Rose to voluntarily withdraw from the sport to avoid further punishment

Peter Ueberroth

an American sports and business executive known for his involvement in the Olympics and in Major League Baseball. A Los Angeles-based businessman, he was the chairman of the Los Angeles Olympic Organizing Committee which brought the games to Los Angeles in 1984. After the conclusion of the games, he was named as the sixth Commissioner of Baseball, a role he held from 1984 to 1989. He later served as the chairman of the United States Olympic Committee from 2004 to 2008.

Bob Feller

nicknamed "The Heater from Van Meter", "Bullet Bob", and "Rapid Robert", was an American baseball pitcher who played 18 seasons in Major League Baseball (MLB) for the Cleveland Indians. Feller pitched from 1936 to 1941 and from 1945 to 1956, interrupted by a four-year engagement in the United States Navy. In a career spanning 570 games, Feller pitched 3,827 innings and posted a win-loss record of 266-162, with 279 complete games, 44 shutouts, and a 3.25 earned run average (ERA).

Willie Keeler

nicknamed "Wee Willie", was an American right fielder in Major League Baseball who played from 1892 to 1910, primarily for the Baltimore Orioles and Brooklyn Superbas in the National League, and the New York Highlanders in the American League. Keeler, one of the best hitters of his time, was elected into the National Baseball Hall of Fame. One of the greatest contact hitters of all time and notoriously hard to strike out, Keeler has the highest career at bats-per-strikeout ratio in MLB history: throughout his career, on average he went more than 60 at bats between individual strikeouts.

What scandal rocked baseball in the mid-1980s and involved twenty players appearing before a grand jury in Pittsburgh? (Hint: it had nothing to do with steroids.)

the selling and distributing of cocaine

William Hubert

was one of the founders of the National League, recognized as baseball's first major league, and was also the president of the Chicago White Stockings franchise.