10 Great Baseball Magazine Covers. Part 1

We’ve dug deep into archives to present 10 of our favorite baseball magazine covers to you!

1. Time, August 28, 1971, illustration by Bob Peak. Left-handed Oakland Athletics pitcher Vida Blue was the American League Cy Young Award winner and MVP in 1971 as he posted a 24-8 record.

2. Life, April 25, 1938. John Thomas “Long Tom” Winsett was a left fielder for the Brooklyn Dodgers when he appeared on the cover of Life magazine. He had his most productive career in 1937 when he belted 15 doubles and five HRs, and batted in 42 runs. Winsett slugged a home run in his first major league at-bat for the Boston Red Sox, but after an erratic career he retired in 1938 after a final season with the “Daffy Dodgers.”

3. Time, September 8, 1969, the year the New York Mets won their first World Series. Illustration by Willard Mullin, the longtime New York World-Telegram sports cartoonist who created the famous Brooklyn Bum character.

4. Sport, August 1951. New York Yankees catcher Lawrence “Yogi” Berra was a three-time MVP, 15-time All Star, won 10 World Series rings, and as manager took teams from both the American and National Leagues to the World Series. Berra got his nickname from a friend who said he resembled a Hindu holy man (a yogi) whenever he sat with arms and legs crossed waiting to bat.

5. Baseball Magazine, March 1916. Baseball Magazine was published from 1908-1957, and briefly in the mid-60s. “Shoeless Joe” Jackson has the third highest career batting average in major league history (.356), but is remembered best for his role in the 1919 Black Sox Scandal, where he and members of the Chicago White Sox were accused of throwing the previous year’s World Series.

Read more about other baseball Magazine Covers in our next publications.

The strangest inventions in baseball history. Part 5

This is the last part of the strange innovations series!

"Electric base-ball register" (John M. Humphreys, 1903)

Most baseball patents are simply oddities, little detours lost to history. John Humphreys' idea, though, was straight out of a sci-fi novel. Just look at it:

Humphreys, like O'Neill before him, wanted to come up with a way to remove what he viewed as the game's "great defect – when the umpire is often enabled to practically decide the game."

Rather than anything so primitive as a bell in a base, though, he had a much grander idea: an entire electric signal system. His invention would include a series of circuits set up across the infield that would send electric currents whenever a fielder had caught a ball.

Unsurprisingly, Humphreys' system was a bit too convoluted to ever gain widespread popularity.

Read more about the strangest inventions in baseball history in our previous publications. 

http://baseballua.com/2017/10/23/the-strangest-inventions-in-baseball-history-part-5/

The strangest inventions in baseball history. Part 4

We continue to talk about strange innovations series.

“Base-ball base” (John C. O’Neill, 1875)

First-base umpires have a pretty tough job. They have to keep their eye on both the foot of a fast-moving runner and small white ball being whipped around the infield, and sometimes their margin for error is razor thin.

And it’s also why, back in 1875, John C. O’Neill came up with a new idea for a baseball base: Put a bell inside of it:

The moment the base was touched by a runner, the bell would sound, providing clear evidence to help the umpire make his call. As O’Neill explained: “In place of the bell mechanism, a sounding whistle, electrical connection, or any other suitable enunciating device may be employed, which indicates clearly and positively, without chance of error, the exact moment when the base is touched by the runner, so as to form a very useful and reliable device for base-ball players.”

So who needs video replay?

The strangest inventions in baseball history. Part 3

We continue to talk about strange innovations series.

“Base-ball catcher” (James Bennett, 1904)

Catchers initially wore no real equipment at all. But as the game evolved and more and more and in 1904 James Bennett thought he had the solution for all of the catcher’s problems:

He’d devised a wire cage, worn on the chest in lieu of a glove, which would catch each pitch and protect the catcher’s hands until he had to throw the ball back to the pitcher.

As you can see from the diagram above, it was quite the contraption: The cage was reinforced on all sides with wood, and springs at the back protected the catcher’s chest from the blow of each pitch. Once the ball passed through the open front end, it closed automatically, and an opening at the bottom of the cage would drop the ball into the catcher’s hands

One of the best baseball books “Baseball in Europe”

Written by award winning journalist Josh Chetwynd the “Baseball in Europe” is overview extensive game’s history on the Continent and British Isles.

Organized by country, this heavily researched book delves into the history of baseball in 40 nations, describing not only the efforts to spread the game but also the culture of baseball unique to Europe. Appendices cover topics from major leaguers who have played in European domestic leagues to a glossary of baseball terms in seven European languages.

Josh Chetwynd served as co-host of Major League baseball coverage on Five (TV) in the United Kingdom. So, his research consider being rather scrupulous and gave an impression of informative and entertaining book.

http://baseballua.com/2017/10/05/one-of-the-best-baseball-book-baseball-in-europe/

“I played with a false beard”. The story of a woman who won MLB legends

Only one baseball game was enough to input Jackie Mitchell in the baseball history.

The general manager of “Chattanooga” signed a 17-year-old girl to participate in an exhibition game against the legendary “New York Yankees” team. The game was held on April 2, 1931.

The reputation of the team and woman’s participation in traditionally male sport attracted about 17,000 fans. Crowded stadium busted into applause when tiny Jackie appeared on the field in plus size uniform.

Before the game started, Mitchell refreshed her make-up, causing an ironic smile of her teammates.

“I even doubted she was able to throw the ball,” – commented after the game baseball legend Babe Ruth.

At first, Babe Ruth was surprised when he missed Jackie’s first pitch. However, second ball took him apart. Ruth was so impressed that even asked judges to check the ball. The ball was fine, and after a third missed ball Ruth threw a bat and went to the bench.

Ruth was changed with Lou Gehrig – the best baseball player of the 20th century. But he only repeated fiasco of his predecessor and missed three pitches. The crowd chanted “Jackie”. There was no doubt, the girl became a sensation. In the fifth inning, Mitchell complained of pain in her hand and was replaced by another pitcher.

On that day, the “New York Yankees” team won 14-4, but for the players, the victory was equivalent to defeat.

http://baseballua.com/2017/10/03/i-played-with-a-false-beard-the-story-of-a-woman-who-won-mlb-legends/

The Mental Game Of Baseball

How important do you think your mental approach is to your baseball performance? If you are a high-level player, you know it is very, very important.

Bill Cole, a leading authority on sports psychology, peak performance, mental toughness and coaching, is founder and CEO of William B. Cole Consultants, a consulting firm that helps sports teams and individuals achieve more success. He is also the Founder and President of the International Mental Game Coaching Association, an organization dedicated to advancing the research, development, professionalism and growth of mental game coaching worldwide.

You know mental toughness in baseball is huge. I don’t like to put percentages on it, but you would probably agree that it is critical to your sustainable success.

When I was the Sport Psychology Coach for the Stanford Baseball Team they were ranked number one in the United States. We worked on mental toughness every day. We also worked on focus, mental preparation and building and maintaining routines and mental recovery strategies.

This article gives you five mental game of baseball strategies I used with the Stanford Baseball Team that you can use right away in your own game.

1.Learn To Control Your Focus

The most important part of the mental game is attentional control. Where you place your focus, in what way, and for how long is key. You need to learn how to choose the appropriate attentional cues so you keep your mind tuned in, not out. The mental game of baseball helps you know what these cues are.

2. Keep Your Mind In The Here And Now

Good baseball is played one pitch at a time. Do that and your mind stays in the moment, the now. One way to facilitate that is to have breath focus. The mental game of baseball helps you learn how to find your breath, track it, and allow it to center and focus you.

3. Stay Poised And Patient

You want to play aggressive baseball, but you also need to remain self-aware, and tuned in to what is happening around you. This is vital to being a plugged in player who makes things happen. The mental game of baseball helps you develop this fine-tuned personal awareness.

4. Develop Confidence And Self-Belief

If you don’t believe in yourself, who will? Everyone around you can tell you how good you are, but if you discount this encouragement, it will never enter your head and heart. The mental game of baseball helps you build an inside-out foundation of self-approval so your confidence flows.

5. Use Mental Rehearsal

Get a competitive advantage with your mind by playing the game in advance, using visualization. Go to the movies in your mind and mentally rehearse what you will be doing in competition. You can plan for contingencies, problems, or map out your strategy and see yourself winning before you actually do it. The mental game of baseball helps you use your imagination to great effect.

When I was at Stanford University we had a belief in our power, and in our destiny. The head coach would get up before a game and ask everyone, “You are about to go out and play in a major college baseball competition. Is there any other place you would rather be? Does it get any better than this?” The guys would then realize that it doesn’t get any better than playing the game you love. The mental game of baseball helps you realize this fundamental, game-altering truth.

I want you to succeed mightily in your baseball career. I want you to reach all of your baseball potential. The mental game of baseball can help you do that in a big way.

http://baseballua.com/2017/06/02/the-mental-game-of-baseball/