Merlke's Boner - 105 Years Later

For those not familiar with baseball history, Merkle's Boner refers to the most infamous error ever committed not just in a baseball game but arguably in any major sporting event. Keith Olbermann took time on his TV show this week to mark the anniversary with a helpful lesson on what happened and why this muff took on a life of its own (hat tip Rob Neyer)




A couple of points Olbermann doesn't bring out that are worth considering:

There were only two umpires working this game. In fact, for most regular season games it would be normal to only have a home plate umpire. Despite all the controversy surrounding this incident, multiple umpires would not be used in regular season games on a normal basis until 1920.

Merkle's mistake was magnified in large part because the stakes were so high. In those days, you didn't have multiple layers of playoffs and a wild-card system that allowed the fourth and fifth worst teams in the league a shot at the championship at the end of the regular season. If you didn't finish first in the league you went home. Thus, the pressure was much greater on players then than it is today.

It's a little bit of a stretch, though, to say that this one play was somehow responsible for keeping the Cubs from winning another World Series. Johnny Evers was simply enforcing the rules of the day no matter how much they might not make sense to our modern sensibilities. The Cubs appeared in seven more World Series after 1908 so it's a little bit of a stretch to say that somehow this play and how the team handled it are somehow responsible for the last century-plus of failure.

Otherwise this is a terrific lesson in baseball history. It's also a tragic story of how one man suffered the wrath of fans for far too long. Mistakes happen every day. Sometimes the stakes are higher than others. But that doesn't mean we need to make the person responsible for the mistake a pariah.

Quick Takes - 9-12-08

Some random thoughts for the weekend. Sorry to make it mostly political but that's the kind of week it has been.

It's not secret that MSNBC is basically the cable news home of the Angry Left. But apparently the management is beginning to get the clue as they remove their leading shouters, Chris Matthews and Keith Olbermann as anchors from their election coverage. Instead, they'll be analysts which I guess is where they should have been all along. Then again, it appears the network is doubling down on being the official news network of the Left by adding Air America talker Rachel Maddow to the lineup. Maybe the network couldn't find any conservative voices to join the sinking ship.

Sometimes the foreign press has keen insights into American politics. Case in point.

More great analysis from across the pond: Underestimate Governor Sarah Palin at your own peril.

Still more: Governor Palin is not so small town after all.

Somehow I don't think it would be wise for Senator Obama to bring up earmarks.

Comparing Senator Obama to former Enron CEO Ken Lay. An very interesting comparison.

Then again, maybe Senator Obama's biggest problem is his pride. (Via Hot Air)

I have one question for Joe Biden: What were you thinking?

Congress is back in session but apparently in no hurry to deal with our pressing energy issues or anything else important. Just a side note, that post's author, Mrs. Michelle Bachman, is a mother of five who also happens to be a Representative from Minnesota.

Something lighter: dressing domestic rodents in Bavarian attire. Oh the scandal!

This gets me thinking about the congressional races and what the effects will be downstream if Senator McCain and Governor Palin manage to pull out a big win. Could it be possible that the Democrats will actually lose seats instead of making the big gains that were originally predicted?

Why I am not surprised? The man who developed Astroturfing is Senator Obama's campaign manager. Anyone starting to see a pattern?

Unreal. Absolutely unreal.

News in one of the oldest espionage cases in American history. And an interesting take from Glenn Reynolds.

One of the reasons we homeschool our kids is so that we don't have to deal with garbage like this.
Oops. The headline on the original post makes it even funnier.

There's a reason that actors should stick to acting.

Abortion and Down Syndrome. An interesting observation on eugenics.

The end of the Associated Press? Could be.

Have a great weekend.