The Library of Congress has made a bunch of old baseball photographs available over at Flickr. The photo above is of Les Nunamaker, a catcher for the Red Sox, Yankees, Browns, and Indians from 1911 to 1922.

Nunamaker’s career line: .268/.332/.339. Among his 10 most comparable players are the excellently named Johnny Peacock and Clyde Kluttz, as well as “The Colonel,” Hall of Fame broadcaster Jerry Coleman.

This particular photo was taken in 1912. Little did Mr. Nunamaker realize that a century later, folks all over the world would be able to watch him playing catch on something called the Internet…

Post from: Knuckle Curve

I’ve been thinking about ways to bring you stuff that just isn’t available anywhere else. News and analysis is great, and I’ll certainly continue to do my share of that, but one thing I thought might be fun is to use Baseball-Reference’s “random” function and highlight whoever happens to appear when I give it a spin. We’ll do this every Wednesday because, well, in keeping with the spirit of things, I actually chose the day at random.

Anyway, our first player is Harry Lord, a left-handed hitting third baseman who played for the Boston Americans/Red Sox, Chicago White Sox, and Buffalo Blues (of the old Federal League). His career spanned from 1907 to 1915, and he posted a career line of .277/.326/.356. Those numbers might appear anemic to us now, but back then it was good enough for an OPS+ of 104.

In 1909, Lord placed fifth in the AL with a .311 batting average. The only players ahead of him that season were Sam Crawford, Nap Lajoie, Eddie Collins, and Ty Cobb. You may recognize those names — they are all in the Hall of Fame.

Although Lord spent most of his time at the hot corner, he also saw some action in the outfield while playing for the White Sox in 1912. He finished seventh in the American League with five home runs that year. (Philadelphia’s Frank Baker and Boston’s Tris Speaker tied for the league lead, with 10 homers. Like I said, it was a different era.)

Not surprisingly, Lord’s list of most comparable players is littered with guys who played before WWII. There is one name, however, from more recent years. Some of you may remember Alan Bannister, a utility player from the ’70s and ’80s.

And that, my friends, is an all-too-brief look at Harry Lord. Until next time…

Post from: Knuckle Curve

Clement made just 12 starts in 2006 with Boston and missed all of last season while recovering from shoulder surgery. Maybe he has something left, but I wouldn’t count on it.

Post from: Knuckle Curve

1. More great games, fewer Congressional investigations.
2. A commissioner who isn’t one of the owners. Yeah, I know technically he isn’t one of the owners anymore, but he’s one of the owners.
3. Hall of Fame enshrinement for Bert Blyleven, Goose Gossage, and Tim Raines.
4. Enough with the Red Sox already. It was kinda cute the first time, but now it’s just annoying.
5. A real owner for the Marlins, and not someone who only knows how to destroy big-league franchises.
6. One more season for Julio Franco.
7. Seventy wins for the Royals and Pirates.
8. No domed stadiums, designated hitters, or All-Star games that determine home-field advantage in the World Series.
9. Free steroids for everyone!

Well, maybe not that last one. Anyway, happy holidays!

Post from: Knuckle Curve

Glavine returns home
Will one year in Atlanta
Erase his last start?

White Sox ship Garland
To Angels for Cabrera,
Have no pitching left

Three years of Lowell
Only in Red Sox Nation
Is he a bargain

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In April [Astros manager Art] Howe handed the ball to Curt Schilling, who responded by converting five of his first six save opportunities. Hitters, though, eventually caught up to Schilling. His fastball has movement, but he overthrows everything. He has yet to develop a consistent off-speed pitch, and the longer he goes without fulfilling his potential, the more questions are asked about his makeup. As one scout observed, “Something is missing.”

Schilling was traded to the Phillies less than a week before Opening Day 1992 for Jason Grimsley. The rest, as they say, is history. Almost overnight, Schilling went from being a 25-year-old flamethrowing reliever whose star was falling to a top-flight starting pitcher.

Funny, this game of baseball…

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II
Schilling kept things close
before bullpen sealed the deal
despite Matt’s four hits

III
No DH, no prob –
surge in the sixth and seventh
couldn’t beat Red Sox

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The bad news is that Colorado got spanked in Game 1. The good news is that a 12-run loss counts exactly the same as a 1-run loss, so there’s plenty of time to regroup. Seriously, ask the 1960 Pirates.

Unfortunately, if the Rockies are going to make a stand, they’ll have to do it behind a kid making his 19th big-league start (Ubaldo Jimenez). Oh, and they’re facing a guy with 216 regular-season wins under his belt and a 9-2 career postseason record (Curt Schilling).

This could be a problem, especially given how well the Red Sox are playing. They’ve won their last four games by scores of 7-1, 12-2, 11-2, and 13-1. That’s not competition, it’s destruction…

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Might I recommend Purple Row for Rockies coverage and, er, pretty much anywhere on the Internet for Red Sox coverage. Oh, I have to pick just one? Okay, give Fire Brand of the American League a shot.

Good luck to your team. Good luck to my city…

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