Thursday, October 27, 2016

What Was the World Like the Last Time the Cleveland Indians won the World Series?


The Cleveland Indians have not been suffering for nearly as long as the Chicago Cubs have but Cleveland sports, especially in baseball, have been in a lull for quite some time. The last time the Indians went to the World Series was that 1997 heartbreaking loss to the Miami Marlins while the last time the Indians faithful were able to watch their players lift the World Series trophy over their head was back in 1948. The world had just seen the end of World War II not too long ago and the country was just beginning to return to normalcy. Let’s hit the high notes and see what the world looked like back in 1948 the last time the Cleveland Indians won a World Series.

Coincidentally, like the last time the Cubs won a World Series, 1948 was also a leap year. This is very interesting as 2016 is also a leap year.

The Constitution of the Italian Republic goes into effect in 1948 while Burma gained its independence from the United Kingdom. Mahatma Gandhi also began his fast-unto-death in 1948 in Delhi to stop violence in his country of Indian. Gandhi would later be assassinated by Nathuram Godse in New Delhi.

Orville Wright of the Wright Brothers also died on the same day as Gandhi.

NASCAR is founded on February 21, 1948. So were the Hells Angels though, the motorcycle gang.

President Harry Truman issues only the second peacetime military draft in United States history amid increasing tensions from Soviet Russia in the Cold War. Truman also signed an executive order ending racial segregation in the United States Armed Forces in 1948.

The 1948 Summer Olympics were held in London, the same place the Olympics were held when the Cubs won the World Series in 1908. 

Babe Ruth died in his sleep at age 53 on August 16th.  

Harry Truman defeated Thomas E. Dewey in the Presidential election. 


RICK JAMES was born on this day in February. RICK JAMES. So was Alice Cooper and Billy Crystal. 

What About JD Martinez?


The New York Yankees have a vision for the 2017 season. The vision includes watching more products of their farm system meet the Major Leagues and be successful but it also includes competing for at least a Wild Card position in the American League. If the team wants to reach both goals they will have to rely on their farm system but they also may have to fill in some gaps from the free agency and trade markets as well and one name that I keep seeing mentioned around Yankees blogs and the internet is that of Detroit Tigers position player J.D. Martinez. Could he be had and would he be a good fit for the Yankees in 2017?

As recently as the 2015 season Martinez slugged 38 home runs with 102 RBI in a very pitcher friendly park in Comerica and while he took a step back in 2016, 22 home runs in just 120 games, his right-handed power is not something that you see become available every day. His power is especially rare when you consider his 2016 triple slash of .307/.373/.535 showing that he is a well-rounded player that can hit for average, take his walks and slug when he has to. The Yankees would presumably be interested in adding the outfielder to the fold based off these numbers alone but you have to wonder if there will be room.

The Yankees, at least this is what they are telling everyone, will give Aaron Judge every opportunity to fail in 2017 at the right field position and the team also has roster spots currently occupied by Brett Gardner, Jacoby Ellsbury, Tyler Austin and Aaron Hicks. On paper a deal doesn’t make sense but it begs the question, would it be worth trading Brett Gardner in a separate deal to make room for Martinez? Would it be worth it to trade Judge in a deal for a starting pitcher to make room for Martinez? Yes and no. Trading Gardner to make room for Martinez hurts less than losing Judge for Martinez because of the sole reason that Martinez is a free agent after the 2017 season. Trading Gardner in a deal that could bring back a pitcher though, that could work.


Having Martinez in the Bronx for one year could give players like Judge and Clint Frazier to name a few the time they need to develop and ultimately succeed at the Major League level while the Yankees outfield production gets a big shot in the arm. It’s a win, win and could be a triple “win” if Gardner brings back a young starting pitcher. Cashman, are you reading?

What Was the World Like the Last Time the Chicago Cubs won the World Series?


I did this last year with the New York Mets and the Kansas City Royals and since tonight is the first off night of the World Series I figured today would be a great day to do it for these two teams. We’ll start with the Chicago Cubs who have not won a World Series since the 1908 season. The world must have been a completely different place back then, no? Let’s hit the high spots from the year 1908 and see what the world was like the last time the Chicago Cubs won a World Series.

1908 was a leap year, which I always find interesting since 2016 was also a leap year, and it also marked the first time a long-distance radio message was sent from the top of the Eiffel Tower. Paris also held the first around-the-world car race that year as contestants began a race from New York to Paris in February of that year.

The 1908 Olympics were held in London with the Summer Olympics happening in July and the Winter Olympics happening in October.

Henry Ford produced his first Model T automobile at the Ford Piquette Avenue Plant in Detroit, Michigan on September 27, 1908.

William Howard Taft defeated William Jennings Bryan in the 1908 election after Theodore Roosevelt declined to run for a third term.

Butch Cassidy and the Sundance Kid were supposedly killed in Bolivia on November 6, 1908.

The University of Pittsburgh was organized in 1908. So was Madison College, the precursor to James Madison University.

Grover Cleveland passed away.


And the Chicago Cubs won back-to-back World Series championships… and their last… until maybe 2016. 

This Day In New York Yankees History 10/27: 1999 Yankees Win!




On this day in 1999 the Yankees completed a sweep of their second consecutive World Series beating the Braves in four games. Roger Clemens led the Yankees to the 4-1 victory in Game 4 that ended the Fall Classic. The Braves become only the second team in World Series history joining the 1910-1919 New York Giants to lose four World Series in one decade.

Also on this day in 1954 Joe DiMaggio and his wife Marilyn Monroe decided to get a divorce after just 274 days as a married couple. This was a disaster waiting to happen from the beginning as this was well known to be a stormy marriage. Marilyn filed the papers citing mental cruelty as the reasoning. Say it ain't so Joe.