As we continue to wade through that part of the off-season where nothing seems to happen (no offense to Ben Zobrist), today I’m going to talk about Great Mysteries in Baseball History. I’ve written similar things over at the Baseball Continuum in the past, but they remain very interesting.
For example, where does Lena Blackburne’s Rubbing Mud come from?
For those who don’t know, all baseballs are rubbed up with a special mud before each game to remove the weird sheen that covers a new baseball and make it easier to hold and throw. The location of where that mud is from is a trade secret, going back generations. I once tried to figure it out…and was able to narrow it down to somewhere in this gigantic circle.
So, yeah, the “Mystery of the Rubbing Mud” will remain unsolved.
But what about other major baseball mysteries? Like…
What happened to Big Ed Delahanty? His mysterious drunken death at Niagara Falls is the source of many theories.
What happened to the countless historic baseballs in history from before it was a big deal what happened to a historic baseball?
Did the Chicago Cubs throw the 1918 World Series and get away with it? There has long been some innuendo and even some minor evidence to suggest it.
Why did Len Koenecke try to hijack and crash his charter flight in 1935? Was it alcohol? Depression?!? We’ll never know.
Did John Smoltz really burn himself when he tried to iron his shirt while still wearing it?
Did Babe Ruth call his shot?
Was Christy Mathewson’s death of tuberculosis partially the result of being gassed during WWI?
Why did Chick Stahl commit suicide in 1907?
Did Ty Cobb really murder a homeless bum?
And those are just a few!
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LINKS!
Joe Lemire on Joshua Kusnick, an agent who suffers from a malformation of the bladder that has required him to have over 42 surgeries.
Dan Epstein on Tony Conigliaro’s musical career.
Bojan Koprivica on Ugandan baseball and the difficulties it faces – both economic and bureaucratic.
Will Leitch on why he believes the Hall of Fame voting process is still flawed.
What Brandon McCarthy’s ballot would have been.
SELF-PROMOTION OF THE WEEK: The Oakland Athletics are looking for racing mascots. I took a look to see if I had what it takes.
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There has never been a Major Leaguer with a last name starting with X.
You may have already known that.
But did you know there have been Minor Leaguers with last names starting with X?
It’s true, and it is there where you can find the greatest ballplayer in history who had a last name starting with X: Joseph Xavier. A left-handed hitter, right-handed fielder drafted from Fresno State in 1985, Xavier played part of six seasons in the Oakland, Milwaukee and Atlanta organizations. He had a career .272 batting average, but never hit for much power and saw his average decrease as he got higher in the minors, ultimately reaching AAA before hanging it up after 1990, a year where he hit .233 between AA and AAA. The site Greatest 21 Days has an interview up with him if you are interested.
Also, a fun fact: Joseph Xavier’s uncle is Bobby Cox.
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As always, you can see more of my work over at Baseball Continuum.
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