A HAND IN SPORTS • Baseball has been around for more than a century. Much more. And its story, it has seemed very similar to that of July 4, that doesn’t change. never.
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• Yes, we have known this since last year. How COVID-19 shattered the major league calendar, along with everything else. How the season began only in late July, divorcing the nation’s birthday from the nation’s pastime. As no one besides, not even the young children had the opportunity to play the game that some of us loved when we grew up.
However, our initial positions. The game is very similar to the fourth, now and forever.
Over the years, the holidays have welcomed this endangered species, the dual program. Families rounded off the day at the ballpark and then enjoyed a fireworks show. around the campfires.
Of course, there’s something de facto about that. After all, dual systems were a Christmas culture at a time when game times lasted about two hours. Now, with four-hour games all the rage, enthusiasts have a sort of double schedule almost every night. But did your great-grandfather and his friends attend so many games?
The figures may not tell us that.
Did you know that in 1935, only one primary league team attracted a million fans?No, it wasn’t the Yankees, they peaked at 675,000, not even the high of the 3 New York teams (Ken Jennings, who threw the first shot in Last Night’s Game M, look, intertwined with America, probably knows the Giants with 748,000 that year).
The Detroit Tigers attracted 34,929 enthusiasts, more than a million enthusiasts in 1935 when they won the American League and World Series pennant. However, the average attendance at a game this season has exceeded 6,000 people.
Damn, 20 years later, in 1955, the average turnout was only 10,000 more consistent with the contest than that. But on July 4?
Take the example of the Milwaukee Braves, who attracted more than two million enthusiasts that season. On July 4, 1955, on a Monday, the Braves tied at 30,948 at County Stadium while being swept by the St. Louis Cardinals. There were few fireworks in the box, but a lot afterwards.
(And, given that in Milwaukee, probably 30,000 bottles of beer, or more, were also consumed. )
In 1935, when the Braves were still living in Boston, they also played a doubleheader in the fourth, hosted the Giants and lost either game. But there were 10,000 of them in the stands, which we believe is an estimate by the circular number contained in the files. The two matches, combined, lasted four hours and seven minutes.
(Here’s a statistic: Between May 30 and July 6 of this season, the Braves played 32 of the 36 games at home, played June 7-nine for the Giants, and July 2-3 in Brooklyn. All other games were played on the Braves. Field. And this segment included thirteen dual programs. )
A twinbill (even the fourth) is a rarity in those days and just because spending one can be longer than any workday you’ve had in 2020. Charging the entry for one adjustment and giving two is financially smart. And being financially smart is America’s new pastime.
• We didn’t need to comment too much on Sha’Carri Richardson’s Olympic suspension for drinking marijuana, basically because we knew that others, with a deeper wisdom of athletics and their Byzantine drug policy, would do it for us.
It happened. We would like to draw your attention to this column through Ken Goe, the retired Oregonian who is one of the top experts on tracks and boxing in the United States.
Did you know that the drug is banned for various reasons that are even similar to improving functionality?In fact, the U. S. Anti-Doping Agency U. S. He admits that the drug can cause “slower reaction times. “
That is what each and every sprinter wants. Slower reaction times So why does athletics forbid it?Partly because there may be a functional aid, but also because, as Goe points out, the anti-doping company believes that “weed smokers are bad role models. “
Isn’t that a bit subjective?What about the sprinter who releases his finger when he crosses the baseline?Isn’t he a bad model? Ban it. O the weight thrower who gets a price ticket for crossing a prevention signal. It’s a bad model. Ban.
No, in fact, we don’t do any of this. But why on earth would a sports organization justify, even peripherally, a sanction for being a “poor model”?This proves once again that those who run the world’s sporting competitions will have to be replaced. After all, being incoherent, petty, and obtuse is the definition of being a ”bad role model. ”
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WSU: Around Pac-12 and school sports, Washington announced a bunch of changes to the non-conference football calendar. . . The state of Oregon did the same . . . Reggie Bush can get his Heisman back if the NCAA reinstates usc’s first Star. . . Conditioning is lately in the middle of Colorado basketball. . . Putting everyone on the same page is Arizona’s goal.
Gonzaga: Larry Weir’s new Press Box podcast, a discussion about Zag’s hoops with Steven Karr.
EWU: Around the Big Sky, NIL settings abound in the conference, with Montana, Montana, northern Arizona and Weber State helping all of its athletes. . . The receiver frame of the state of Idaho is packed.
Indians: A smart pitch and well-synchronized movements mean a lot. That’s what happened Friday night at Avista Stadium when Spokane received a 4-3 win over Tri-City. Dave Nichols has all the main points in the history of the game.
Clash: Around the IFL, Phoenix tries to stay one game ahead of Spokane as it faces the unhappy Tucson.
Sailors: Either way, the M’s never appear out of the game. And if they can succeed in additional rounds, they’re a smart bet to win. As they did last night in a crowded T-Mobile field, the rangers back betaking, this time 5 -4 out of 10. . . . Yes, T-Mobile full. . . . Kyle Seager has been in the big leagues for 10 years.
Seahawks: Do you have any questions? Bob Condotta of the Times provides answers.
Storm: Seattle fixed one of its stars on the last right to get a win against Atlanta.
Kraken: The people who played for Dave Hakstol had things to say about Seattle’s first coach. . . Spokane’s Tyler Johnson scored two goals last night as the Lightning beat Montreal 6-3. Tampa Bay led 3-0 in the Stanley Cup Final.
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• Although it is only July 3, we seek to warn you. We probably wouldn’t have a column in the morning. Mainly because we like to celebrate our nation’s birthday in a strange way: wandering its wilderness. Every July 4th since I retired, Kim and I have walked differently around Spokane. Something easy, another difficult. But with the altitude temperature reaching 90 degrees, we have to leave early to make sure we don’t melt on the way to the most sensitive mountain somewhere. If I get up early enough, I’ll write. If not, we’ll see. you on Monday morning. Check for updates on Twitter or, you know, click on the S-R site. There will be many glorious stories, I’m sure. Until laterArray . .