#17 in Baseball books
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Reddit mentions of The New Bill James Historical Baseball Abstract
Sentiment score: 2
Reddit mentions: 2
We found 2 Reddit mentions of The New Bill James Historical Baseball Abstract. Here are the top ones.
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Used Book in Good Condition
Specs:
Height | 9.62 Inches |
Length | 7.66 Inches |
Number of items | 1 |
Release date | October 2001 |
Weight | 3.68 Pounds |
Width | 2.04 Inches |
Reminds me of a play involving Willie Mays and the Giants, as described by Bill James in his Historical Abstract which, by the way should really be required reading for anyone who loves baseball, even if you aren't a major stat guy, just for stories like this.
> This actually happened, July 11, 1963, in Philadelphia, go check the newspapers if you don't believe me. Willie Mays draws a walk leading off the second inning. He has second base stolen standing up, but Orlando Cepeda fouls off the pitch. Second pitch, Mays has second base stolen again, Cepeda fouls off the pitch again, strike two. There's a pitchout and a ball outside; the count reaches two-two, and Mays takes off for second again. Once more, Cepeda fouls the ball off.
> Finally, fourth try, Mays goes for second and Cepeda squibs the ball off the end of his bat to the second baseman, Tony Taylor. Mays sees the ball rolling behind him and figures that he can make third on the throw to first, so he heads for third. Tony Taylor, however, has seen Willie Mays play baseball before, so he holds the ball a second before throwing to first. When Mays heads for third, Taylor throws across the infield, Mays is out at third by 40 feet.
> Mays, however, decides to stay in a rundown long enough to let Cepeda make second. Catching Willie Mays in a rundown is like trying to assassinate a squirrel with a lawn mower, so this goes on for some time, and Cepeda races down to second base, while Don Hoak (Philadelphia third baseman) chases Mays back to the same base. Mays and Cepeda, both near second base, stare at each other for a moment, while the ball pops loose on the ground before anybody can apply a tag to either one of them.
> So Mays heads back to third base.
> And Cepeda heads back to first.
> Taylor retrieves the ball and fires to third, and Willie Mays, for the second time on the same play, is caught in a rundown between second and third.
> Well, that out is eventually recorded; it's officially scored 4-5-6-1-6-4, but as the official scorer noted afterward, he couldn't be sure who all handled the ball, and a player can only get one assist on a play anyway, so he just gave an assist to everyone in the vicinity.
The next three are to give you a better view of the game from the players/owners perspective.