Happy Independence Day
everyone!!! Time to drop some knowledge!
When I originally thought about doing this post I was going
to focus primarily upon the United States of America’s baseball team; however,
upon doing a thorough amount of research I found that “one cannot simply talk
about USA Baseball” in a few paragraphs. The main reason for this is because
the USA Baseball team has evolved for nearly a century. That’s right, for
roughly 101 years there has been some form of a US national team in place. So I’ll
do my best to keep all of this succinct and with a point, rather than just
constant babbling.
If I didn’t all ready blow your mind with the 101 years
part, things are going to get a bit crazy for the next page or so for you then.
According to the USA Baseball Web site and Wikipedia (for the sake of argument)
the US National team was formed in 1978 and has
been the National Governing Body (NGB) for amateur baseball. It represents the
sport in the United States
as a member of the U.S.
Olympic Committee (USOC) and internationally as a member federation of the
International Baseball Federation (IBAF). This is not entirely true. A lot
of it is dependent upon wordage used and when other top-tier organizations
complied to recognize baseball on an international level. This includes (as
stated above): the IBAF, USOC, NGB, International Olympic Committee
(previously), the Pan-American Games, etc. Like I said, there is a lot to cover
but I’ll leave most of you to your own research as to not bore you with
bureaucracy. Anyway, my whole point of the “not entirely true” dates back to 1912,
the first time baseball was displayed as a demonstration sport at the Olympic
Games in Stockholm, Sweden.
For those of you who don’t know, the definition of a “demonstration sport” is a game or event which is displayed for promotional purposes as an attempt to encourage interest in other countries. Baseball made its first appearance in the Olympics in 1912 in Sweden as an exhibition sport. A game was played between the US, the nation where the game was developed, and the host nation. The game was held on Monday, 15 July 1912 and started at 10 a.m. on the Ostermalm Athletic Grounds in Stockholm.
The Americans were represented by various members of the American Olympic track & field athletics delegation, while the Swedish team was the VesterĂ¥s Baseball Club, which had been formed in 1910 as the first baseball club in Sweden. Four of the Americans played for Sweden, as the Swedish pitchers and catchers were inexperienced. One Swede eventually relieved Adams and Nelson, the American pitchers. Six innings were played, with the Americans not batting in the sixth and allowing the Swedes to have six outs in their half of the inning. The game was umpired by George Wright, a retired American National League baseball player who also happened to be the brother of Harry Wright, the guy who pretty much invented professional sports in the US. One could argue that his Cincinnati Red Stockings of 1871 were the first professional athletes in the world, but that would be an untrue statement. Some dude named Gaius Appuleius Diocles in Rome in 146 A.D. can disprove that.
In 1936 baseball was once again displayed as a demonstration
sport, but only two teams actually took the field; the US Olympic team
and the World Champion team. Both teams were comprised of all members from the US. But even at
that, the US
kicked ass in front of Adolf Hitler. The person who pushed for baseball in
Olympics was a pro ballplayer named Leslie Mann; no, not the actress whose
married to Judd Apatow. Rather, the guy who played for the Boston Braves,
Chicago Cubs, St. Louis Cardinals, Chicago Whales (Federal league), Cincinnati
Reds and New York Giants for 16 seasons. Originally Mann had organized a
20-game exhibition in Japan
the year before the Olympics. In fact, a team from Japan
was supposed to play in the Olympics in Germany, but backed out last
minute. Mann later went on to found the International Baseball Federation which
played its first international championship in 1938 in England. The
English team, composed mainly of Canadian college players, won 4 out of 5 games
against an amateur American team. He also organized subsequent championships in
Cuba in 1939 and Puerto Rico in 1941. World War II brought Mann's efforts
to an end.
Baseball was played at the 1952 Olympics in Helsinki, Finland,
but not the kind you’re thinking of.
Traditional baseball wouldn’t rear its head in Olympic
competition again until 1956 when the games were held in Melbourne, Australia.
What’s interesting about these games is that baseball was considered THE
“foreign” demonstration sport of the games; however, baseball had been played
throughout the country since 1889 and the Australian team was the first to
actually field a legitimate team against the US… with the exception that their
top cricket players were not allowed to play due to the fact that they were
professionals. At the time, according to IOC rules professionals were not
allowed to participate in said competitions. Due to the field being set up between
the running tracks, right field was only 225 feet so special ground rules were
put in place, stating that a ball hit over the running track on the full will
be declared a home run, where one that bounces or rolls on or over the track,
shall be declared a ground rule double. This rule was put in place to stop
baseball cleats damaging the track for the events after the baseball. The game
was played on December 1st (remember, Australian seasons are the
opposite of ours) from 12:30pm. As the visiting team, the Americans batted
first, scoring 2 runs off 3 hits. Australia did not strike back until
the bottom of the 2nd inning, when Chalky White of South Australia hit a solo
home run off Vane Sutton. Sutton made up for his error in the top half on the
3rd, with a grand slam to send the score out to a commanding 6-1. The Americans
again put the pressure on Australia
in the fifth inning as two errors led to another 2 runs to the US, putting
them in a comfortable position. The game was eventually called at
2:40pm, after six completed innings and a final score 11-5, with the US batting
first. Very few fans were present at the start of the game, but according to
record 114,000 had arrived by the sixth inning. This was due to the finals for
the 1500 meters, 4x400 meters relay and finish of the men's marathon.
The Olympics were held in Tokyo,
Japan in 1964 and once again
only one game would be played between the Japanese and the US national
team led by former USC head coach Rod Dedeaux, the greatest college baseball
coach in history. Members of the team included pitchers Alan Closter, Dick
Joyce, and Chuck Dobson; catchers Jim Hibbs and Ken Suarez; outfielder Shaun
Fitzmaurice; first baseman Mike Epstein; and second baseman Gary Sutherland.
Fitzmaurice hit a home run on the first pitch of the game and the US won 6-2 in
front of 50,000 fans.
Baseball at the 1984
Summer Olympics was a demonstration sport, and the first Olympics in
which the USA Baseball Team played as an internationally recognized program
since the US boycotted the
1980 Olympics in Moscow, Soviet
Union. Although single exhibition games had been played in
conjunction with five previous Olympics, it was the first time that the sport
was officially included in the program, and also the first time that the sport
was played in Olympics held in the United States. Eight teams competed
in Los Angeles, California in the tournament. Games were
held at Dodger Stadium. Cuba,
after winning the gold medal at the 1983 Pan American Games, was to
participate, but did not as a result of the Soviet-led boycott (Payback). The US made it all
the way to the final game where they lost to the Japanese team by the score of
6-3. Notable names from the ’84 team include Mark McGwire, Will Clark, Cory
Snyder, Barry Larkin, Bobby Whitt, B.J. Surhoff and Bill Swift. The Dominican Republicteam that year featured a relatively unknown fastballer named Ramon Martinez.
Due to the fact that baseball was a demonstration sport, no actual medal was
awarded to the winners.
In 1988 in Seoul, South Korea, the final year as a demonstration
sport, the US took home the
gold (literally) as the beat Japan
in the final game rematch. What’s most unusual about this final game is that
actual medals were given out; however, they were not recognized by the IOC. It’s
all dumb. Notable players on that year’s team include Andy Benes, Jim Abbott,
Charles Nagy, Mike Fiore, Tino Martinez, Robin Ventura, Ed Sprague and Mickey
Morandini.
Finally, in 1992 baseball made its debut as an official
sport at the Olympics in Barcelona,
Spain, which is
oddly enough one of the only Olympic cities to actually turn a profit off of
the games. The US finished a
respectable fourth, having bean beaten by Japan
and Cuba in the round robin
stage and once again by Cuba
in the semi-finals. If it makes you feel any better Cuba won the whole thing. But from
1992-2008 baseball served as an official Olympic event in which the US took home one bronze (1996 in Atlanta, Georgia),
one silver (2008 in Beijing, China) and one gold (Sydney, Australia).
I don’t know a terrible amount about the Pan-Am Games, but
what I can tell you is that the US have won five bronze medals, seven silver
medals and one gold medal. I didn’t go into too much research in the Baseball
World Cup either as most people don’t know much about it. However, there is the
IBAF-recognized World Baseball Classic which wrapped up its third year in 2013…
with the US
team failing to medal in all three years.
Not to be one to end things on a downer, I saved the best for last, but
first… the hat.
This particular cap was first introduced during the 2000
Olympics in Sydney.
Prior to those games all headwear consisted of “USA” being stitched across the
front panels like this.
Jason Giambi
Kris Benson
So whomever designed the current “US” with a red-outlined silver star logo
back in 2000 certainly did a fantastic job as it has been used prevalently ever
since in all international baseball games. While the cap has appeared in other
bill and panel color schemes, the classic all-nave blue has lasted all 14 years
of competition, with the addition of the flag of the USA added to the side in
2006 during the first World Baseball Classic tournament.
Now, despite 101 years to focus on I was able to whittle my
marks down to two numbers for one year.
#28- Drafted by the Milwaukee Brewers in the first round
(10th overall) of the 1999 draft, Ben Sheets made his professional debut with
the Ogden Raptors of the Pioneer League. In August, against the Idaho Falls
Chukars, Sheets struck out eight batters while allowing just one hit through
five innings. Later in the month, he was promoted to advanced-A Stockton of the
California League. In his seven minor league starts that year, Sheets averaged
a strikeout ratio of 10.09 batters per nine innings.
In 2000, Sheets was on the US
national team for the 2000 Summer Olympics in Sydney. One of the most important things to
note from this year’s Olympics is that it was the first time professionals were
allowed to be on the team. Granted, none of the talent had made it to the Major
League level, but they were still paid players in the minor leagues and no
longer technically amateurs. Sheets pitched 22 innings, struck out 11 batters,
walked one, and gave up 11 hits during the tournament, and faced off against Cuban
ace Pedro Luis Lazo in the gold medal game, giving up three singles and
advancing just one runner to second base for the entire game. Sheets
gave up no walks and struck out five in a 4–0 complete game shutout. It is
still considered one of the finest pitching performances in US international competition.
After helping the US win their first and only gold
medal in Olympic competition, Sheets headed back to the minors in 2001 but
quickly worked through the ranks of the Brewer farm system until making his
Major League debut on April 5th. In eight seasons with the Brewers,
the last few which were hampered by injury, Sheets went 86-83 with a
respectable 3.72 ERA and 1325 strikeouts. All four of his All-Star Game
appearances were made with the Brewers in 2001, 2004, 2007 and 2008. His best
statistical season came in 2004 when he went 12-14 with a 2.70 ERA and 264
strikeouts, which were good enough for an eighth place finish for the National
League Cy Young award that season. At the end of the 2008 season Sheets and the
Brewers went their separate ways.
Sheets wouldn’t pitch again in the Majors until 2010 when
the Oakland Athletics agreed to a one year, $10 million with an additional $2
million in incentives, contract with the Oakland Athletics. Sheets
got the Opening Day start, going five innings allowing three runs (two earned)
on four hits while striking out 3 and walking 4, receiving a 'no-decision'. The
Athletics lost the game in the bottom of the 9th. On July 29, 2010, the
Athletics announced Sheets would miss the remainder of the season due to a torn
flexor in his right elbow. His season ended with Sheets going 4-9 in 20 starts.
On July 1, 2012, the Atlanta Braves announced that Sheets
had signed a minor league contract with the organization in order to attempt a
comeback to the major leagues. He made his first minor league start with the Mississippi
Braves on July 4, 2012. On July 12, the Braves announced that they had called
Sheets up from the minors. Sheets made his first start in nearly two years on
July 15th against the New York Mets. He pitched six scoreless innings, giving
up two hits and striking out five to earn the win. After his second start also
resulted in no runs given up by Sheets, who pitched six innings of five-hit,
six-strikeout ball, he stated, "If you asked me if I'm surprised I haven't
given up a run, yeah I am. But I'm not surprised I'm getting people out. I
wouldn't have come back if I didn't think I could get people out." Sheets
made the final start of his career Wednesday, October 3, 2012 against the
Pittsburgh Pirates.
#16- Doug Mientkiewicz attended Westminster
Christian School
in Palmetto Bay, Florida, where he was a teammate of Alex Rodriguez. Upon graduation, he was drafted by the Toronto Blue Jays in the
twelfth round of the 1992 Major League Baseball Draft, but chose instead to
play at Florida State University.
In his third season with the Seminoles, Mientkiewicz led the team with a .371 batting
average, 19 home runs and 80 RBI. Florida
State earned their first ACC
Championship, and Mientkiewicz was named ACC Atlantic I Regional MVP. After the
season, Mientkiewicz was drafted by the Minnesota Twins in the fifth round of
the 1995 Major League Baseball Draft.
In 1998, he batted .323, with a .432 OBP and .508 slugging
percentage in 509 at-bats for the New Britain Rock Cats to earn Eastern League
(AA) All-Star honors, and a September call-up to the Twins. He batted .200 with
two RBIs in 25 at-bats for the Twins. Mientkiewicz earned a roster spot with
the Twins the following spring without having previously played in Triple-A,
and batted .229 with two home runs and 32 RBIs sharing playing time with Ron
Coomer at first base in 1999. After a full season in the majors, Mientkiewicz
spent the 2000 season with the Twins' AAA affiliate, the Salt Lake Buzz. He was
the Triple-A All-Star first baseman, and Pacific Coast League All-Star designated
hitter. He batted .334, with a .446 OBP and .524 slugging percentage, in 485
at-bats for Salt Lake, while both scoring and driving in
96 runs.
After the season wrapped up Mientkiewicz was named to the US team and
served as the starting first baseman. Mientkiewicz was counted upon for his
leadership as the oldest member of the team. He is best known for his walkoff
home run against the South Korean team in the semifinals which helped carry the
momentum into the gold medal game against Cuba.
In 2001 Mientkiewicz became the Twins’ full-time first
baseman, posting the best numbers of his career on both sides of the ball. He
won his first and only Gold Glove of his career that season and finished in 14th
place for the American League MVP award after going .306/15/74 under
then-manager Tom Kelly. Mientkiewicz had another solid year with the Twins in
2003, but was traded to the Boston Red Sox near the trading deadline in 2004
where he joined a former Twins teammate David Ortiz as they shattered the
“Curse of the Bambino” that season after the Red Sox won their first World
Series title since 1918. Not wanting to make the same defensive gaff as in the
case of Bill Buckner in Game 6 of the 1986 World Series, Mientkiewicz was put
in a first base and recorded the final out of the Series.
Since then, Mientkiewicz became a bit of a journeyman,
playing a season each with the New York Mets (2005), Kansas City Royals (2006),
New York Yankees (2007), Pittsburgh Pirates (2008) and Los Angeles Dodgers
(2009). He currently serves as the manager for the Fort Myers Miracle, an
advanced-A affiliate of the Twins in the Florida League.
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