Daily Rewind

This Day In Baseball
Daily Rewind

We bring you back through baseball history and as much as possible let the players tell the stories. You can hear Babe Ruth, Jackie Robinson, Walter Johnson and hundreds of others.

  1. Connie Mack Passes Away February 8

    2 DAYS AGO

    Connie Mack Passes Away February 8

    On February 8, 1956, one of baseball’s most prominent figures, Connie Mack, dies at the age of 93 from old age and hip surgery.  He was known as “The Tall Tactician” and was baseball’s grand old gentleman for more than a generation. Statuesque, stately, and slim, he clutched a rolled-up scorecard as he sat or stood ramrod straight in the dugout, attired in a business suit rather than a uniform, a derby or bowler in place of a baseball cap. He carried himself with quiet dignity, and commanded the respect of friend and foe. After his 11 year career as a journeyman catcher and managing Pittsburgh's National League he became a prominent figure in Ban Johnson's Western League. A founder of the American League in 1901, Mack managed and owned the Philadelphia Athletics from 1901 to 1950, leading the team to five World Series titles and nine American League pennants. The 'Tall Tactician' set records for the major league wins (3,731) and losses (3,948), compiling a .486 managerial mark during his 54 years as a skipper, including his three seasons with the Pirates before the turn of the century. He won election to the Hall of Fame in 1937. Interview with Connie Mack, conducted by legendary vaudevillian Joe Cook on his Shell Chateau radio broadcast of May 29, 1937, in which Mack picks his all-time all-star team and discusses his rivalry with New York Giants manager John McGraw   Mentioned in this episode: Classic Baseball Broadcasts Classic Baseball Broadcasts

    13 min
  2. Lew Burdette - He was the original Mark Fidrych

    4 DAYS AGO

    Lew Burdette - He was the original Mark Fidrych

    When he posed for his 1959 Topps baseball card, Lew Burdette grabbed teammate Warren Spahn’s glove and pretended to be a lefty. Topps missed the joke and printed the card with the error. Burdette would sign his name “Lewis” on his contracts, and would alternate between “Lou” and “Lew” for autograph-seekers. He said he really didn’t care how his first name (which was actually his middle name) was spelled. Years before Mark Fidrych became famous for talking to the baseball, Lew Burdette used the same antics to psych himself up on the mound. Often accused of throwing a spitball, Burdette never bothered to refute that charge, and used the paranoia to his advantage. In the 1957 World Series, he shut out the New York Yankees twice in four days to give the Milwaukee Braves their only World Championship. Lew Burdette On October 10, 1957, Burdette shut out the Yankees for the second time in four days. He was the first pitcher in 37 years to win three complete games in a single WS and the first since Christy Mathewson (1905) to throw two shutouts in a single Series. The win gave Milwaukee the world championship and earned Burdette Series MVP honors. Hall of Fame lefty Warren Spahn and righthander Burdette gave the Braves a formidable one-two punch, with 443 victories between them in 13 seasons. A slider and sinkerball pitcher, Burdette was widely accused of throwing a spitball as well. His constant fidgeting on the mound fed that suspicion; it didn’t indicate nervousness. Teammate Gene Conley said, “Lew had ice water in his veins. Nothing bothered him, on or off the mound. He was a chatterbox out there … He would talk to himself, to the batter, the umpire, and sometimes even to the ball.” Besides winning 20 games in 1958 and 21 in ’59, Burdette won 19 twice and 18 once. His 2.70 ERA topped the NL in 1956. In two All-Star Games, he allowed only one run in seven innings. He no-hit the Phillies on August 18, 1960. On May 26, 1959, he was the winning pitcher when Pittsburgh’s Harvey Haddix hurled 12 perfect innings against the Braves, only to lose in the 13th. That winter, the puckish Burdette asked for a $10,000 raise, explaining: “I’m the greatest pitcher that ever lived. The greatest game that was ever pitched in baseball wasn’t good enough to beat me, so I’ve got to be the greatest!” “My best pitches were a sinker and slider,” Burdette said. “I’d move the ball in and out. I always tried to keep it down. I was always being accused of throwing at the hitters. Early Wynn always said that he was the meanest pitcher in the American League, and I was the meanest in the National League.” — Sports Collectors Digest, September 4, 1998 "I'm the greatest pitcher that ever lived. The greatest game that was ever pitched in baseball wasn't good enough to beat me, so I've got to be the greatest!" - Lew Burdette, 1959 ""There should be 3 pitching statistics for Burdette: Wins, Losses, and Relative Humidity." - Red Smith, The New York Times Join the Daily Rewind - Join. Classic Baseball Broadcasts - reconnect with baseball history. Mentioned in this episode: Classic Baseball Broadcasts Classic Baseball Broadcasts

    22 min
  3. Don Hoak unsong hero - February 5

    5 DAYS AGO

    Don Hoak unsong hero - February 5

    Born: Sunday, February 05, 1928 in Roulette, PA USA He was the kind of player who’s worth doesn’t always show up in the box score, but yet his determination and aggressiveness to win made him one of the most valuable players on the world championship of 1960. Don Hoak, nicknamed Tiger by Dodger pitcher Clem Labine because he was always starting fights, was a solid fielder who twice led the circuit in fielding percentage at third base who also would contribute at the plate, hitting over .280 in three of his four seasons with the Bucs. Many players felt he was such an important cog to the club’s championship run. Cy Young Award winner Vern Law felt his fighting spirit rubbed off on everyone helped push the club over the hump to the title, while legendary reliever Roy Face thought he was the most underrated player on the team. What ever it was, Hoak definitely wanted to fit the tough boy persona. He was a Marine in World War II where he saw some action in the Pacific theater and also spent sometime as a boxer in the middleweight division and his tough image was something he prided himself on. Tiger came up with the Dodgers in 1954 and was part of their memorable 1955 world championship team, the only title that the legendary team from Brooklyn would win. He was dealt to the Cubs the year after where he hit .215 and went on his way Cincinnati in 1957. It was there that his career finally started to take shape as he led the senior circuit in doubles with 39 and fielding percentage with a .971 mark while hitting career highs in both homers 19, and RBI’s with 89. Hoak was named to his one and only selection in the mid –summer classic that year. Don slumped in 1958 and was dealt to the Bucs along with Smoky Burgess and Harvey Haddix in a seven-player deal that many felt was the final piece in the Pirate 1960 championship machine. In 1959, Tiger proved that his .261 average in 1958 was just a fluke as he broke .290 for the first time when he hit .294, before moving into his best all around season in the Steel City. Hoak would show a rare glimpse of power during that magical season, hitting 16 homers to go with 79 RBI’s and a .282 average. While his numbers were good, it was his grit, determination and leadership that found him finishing second to teammate Dick Groat in the National League Most Valuable Player voting ahead of such Hall of Famers as Willie Mays, Ernie Banks, Roberto Clemente and Eddie Mathews. Mentioned in this episode: Classic Baseball Broadcasts Classic Baseball Broadcasts

    12 min
  4. Joe McCarthy the winningest manager in history

    6 DAYS AGO

    Joe McCarthy the winningest manager in history

    February 4, 1957, manager Joe McCarthy and outfielder Sam Crawford are elected to the Hall of Fame. McCarthy, the winningest manager in history, won nine pennants and four consecutive World Championships with the New York Yankees. Crawford, one of the greatest hitters of the dead-ball era, finished his career with 309 triples, first on the all-time list. Some have challenged Sam Crawford's status as a Hall of Famer, but the truth is that Crawford was one of the best sluggers of his era, hands down. Consider: Crawford retired as the American League career leader in home runs, extra-base hits, total bases, RBI, and triples. From 1910 to 1915 (when he was 30-35 years old), Sam led the AL in games played, total bases, RBI, extra-base hits, and triples. He was second in homers and hits, third in runs created, fourth in slugging, and batted .320 for that six-year stretch. He ranked that high while Ty Cobb, Tris Speaker, Home Run Baker, and Joe Jackson were in their prime. His total of 643 RBI from 1910-1915 were 118 more than his closest rival in the American League! Somehow however, it took a campaign by Cobb to get his teammate into the Hall of Fame. Though he never played in the major leagues, Joe McCarthy earned the respect of his players as one of the most successful managers in history. He guided two teams to the World Series, and orchestrated four consecutive World Championships at the helm of the Yankees, from 1936 to 1939. He relied on his remarkable memory, his "Ten Commandments of Baseball," and his brillant ability to manage all types of players, and ended up with the highest winning percentage in the history of the game. Description "With his lantern jaw and chunky body," wrote author David Kaiser, "he could be an impressive presence on the field, and although he respected umpires, he also knew how to try to intimidate them in a key game." Mentioned in this episode: Classic Baseball Broadcasts Classic Baseball Broadcasts

    9 min
  5. Fredric Michael Lynn was born on February 3, 1952

    FEB 3

    Fredric Michael Lynn was born on February 3, 1952

    Fredric Michael Lynn was born on February 3, 1952 He arrived on the big league scene like a bolt of lightning through the evening sky. Fred Lynn played in his first game on September 5, 1974 and proceeded to smash major league pitching to the tune of a .419 batting average and a .698 slugging average over his first 15 games. He followed that up with one of the greatest rookie seasons of all time, leading the Red Sox to the World Series and earning the Rookie of the Year, Most Valuable Player, and Gold Glove awards for the 1975 season. Lynn was the first player to achieve this trifecta, an accomplishment matched by Ichiro Suzuki of the Seattle Mariners in 2001. Fred Lynn had the greatest coming out party in baseball history in 1975, when as a rookie, he played a stellar center field for the Red Sox and earned the American League Most Valuable Player Award. All season, opposing pitchers searched in vain for a way to get the left-handed hitter out, and all season they were left scratching their heads. Lynn hit .331 in his freshman campaign, and followed it with a .314 mark in 1976, but injuries kept him out of the lineup all too frequently for the remainder of his career. He was healthy in 1978 and 1979, and in the latter year, he had his best overall campaign, belting 39 homers to go with 122 RBI, 116 runs scored, 42 doubles, 82 walks, and a .333 average. But after he was traded by Boston to the Angels, he was never quite the same player. He did recapture his magic twice after leaving Red Sox Nation, however. In 1983 he hit the first grand slam in All-Star Game history, and in the 1982 League Championship Series, he punished Brewers' pitchers for a .611 batting average and 11 hits in the Angels' five-game defeat. Seemingly destined to become one of the game's greats, Lynn never met those lofty (and unfair) expectations, but he still produced 306 homers and more than 1,100 RBI in his injury-riddled career. After he collected 11 hits in five games and batted .611 in the 1982 Playoffs, Fred Lynn became the first player on a losing team to be named Most Valuable Player in a League Championship Series. Mentioned in this episode: Classic Baseball Broadcasts Classic Baseball Broadcasts

    16 min
4.6
out of 5
18 Ratings

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We bring you back through baseball history and as much as possible let the players tell the stories. You can hear Babe Ruth, Jackie Robinson, Walter Johnson and hundreds of others.

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