This is of no relevance to anything, but it's striking to me how much history from pre-Internet years isn't really on the Internet yet, and may never be.
For example, so that there will now exist a record on Google, I've assembled, from memory and from bits and pieces in record books, a brief description of one of the greatest games in college baseball history:
Texas v. Rice on March 27, 1977.
The Longhorns started the season with 34 consecutive victories, a record that hasn't yet been broken. Then, the Owls stopped the streak, winning 4-3 in 14 innings, with their ace, fireballing sophomore Allan Ramirez, throwing, I was told that evening, 242 pitches in his victory. (Nowadays, mature major league pitchers are seldom allowed to throw more than 130 pitches in one game to avoid doing permanent damage to their arms.)
I don't think Ramirez was ever quite the same after that epic performance, but he was still good enough to finish his college career with 39 complete games, sixth on the NCAA all-time list today, and to to wind up with a major league record of 4-4 with a 3.47 ERA. It's possible that winning that one game cost Ramirez a multi-million dollar big league career.
That's the kind of thing that you ought to be able to look up on the Internet.
My published articles are archived at iSteve.com -- Steve Sailer
Greatest college baseball game in history?
ReplyDeleteThat's like being the greatest violinist in Barstow.
with their ace, fireballing sophomore Allan Ramirez, throwing, I was told that evening, 242 pitches in his victory.
ReplyDeleteThat is astounding for a fastball pitcher in this day and age.
I'm wondering about our fitness compared to recent ancestors. Cy Young pitched every other day. WWI battleships were run on hand shoveled coal, and some emergency turn arounds in port had some physical feats I'm not sure we could equal today. Plus I don't see much complaint about back injuries from that era and earlier, compared to today's ubiquitous incidents.
Someone suggested modern diet, such as phosphoric acid in soda pop, is a contributor.
awesome.... the name Allan Ramirez should now rank up there with Larry Owings
ReplyDeleteJust letting you know that I spilt some soup last night, but things turned out alright when I mopped it up with some kitchen towel.
ReplyDeleteI was able to look up on the internet the Washington Post article on my grandfather's death ... in the 1940's.
ReplyDeleteSo a lot of old newspaper articles are available on the web.
That's quite an obscure sports reference, Dan. I knew what you meant only because an Army buddy of mine had been a Big Ten wrestler. Here is the match, speaking of pre-internet history. Owings in green, Gable in red.
ReplyDeleteBTW Dan, are you gonna get back to that blog? it looks like it would be a good one if you maintained it.
May it all become folklore and descendants be laughed at for believing in it.
ReplyDeleteThat was a huge missed opportunity and plot point from the last Die Hard movie.
ReplyDeleteThe main villain is a young, internet hacker type guy played by Timothy Oliphant. I expected to hear Willis make reference to the fact that he beat three guys just like him before, and Oliphant's character search the internet and come up with nothing, because Willis's McClane's characters exploits pre-dated Google.
For the emotional turning point finally occur when the villain realizes that the guy he's facing is the guy he saw on TV as a kid. And become afraid.
But it never happened.
Hick - lol literally
ReplyDeleteBTW Dan, are you gonna get back to that blog? it looks like it would be a good one if you maintained it.
ReplyDeleteI'm seconding that. Dan, I'd definitely read your blog if you continued it.
Thanks - that was just kick in the ass I needed- I have a new Super bowl blog up on my site- thanks again
ReplyDeleteJim O'Sullivan- awesome youtube- I shared that with my wrestling brothers- weirdest thing though- watched the video and though FOR SURE Gable was in the black and gold and Owings was in the Red....thought for sure the guy in the Red was winning- was shocked to see the guy in black hands up at end....Iowa's colors are black and gold btw- bizarre
errr nevermind - just saw that Gable actually went to Iowa St- so that makes more sense now bc their colors are maroon yellow....everything is right in the universe again... you can understand my confusion however
ReplyDeleteI never saw Gable wrestle but attended the '84 or '85 NCAAs at the Meadowlands, where he was coaching. He was like a wild man, constantly getting on the mat to coach his wrestlers and the officials too timid to discipline him; at one point, it got too much for them and they had him forcibly removed by several security types (after which he pretty much remained seated).
ReplyDeleteThat tournament was memorable to me in another way. There was a mid-weight finals match between a guy named Ramirez (or eqivalent) from San Jose State (or equivalent), the returning champion, and a guy from Princeton named Orr. With 5 friends, all wrestlers, I'd watched Ramirez win his semifinal match--he was extremely impressive.
My friends were discussing how long it would take for Ramirez to pin Orr.
I said, "I used to be acquainted with a guy named Orr back in the mid-'50s and he went to Princeton. If this guy's his son or a relative, I'll go $20 that, not only won't Ramirez pin him but, win or lose, Orr will get Ramirez on his back at least once during the match."
Well, I had 5 bets of $20 each almost instantly. The only problem seemed to be in determining whether there was any relationship between this Orr and the one I'd known all those years ago---but I said I'd go ask the wrestler himself after the match.
Ramirez won, dominated, in fact. But he never came close to pinning Orr and Orr managed to get back points. In fact, the match ended with Ramirez on his back, possibly only surviving to win by the buzzer. And just after the match, during the medal awards, came the announcement that "John Orr, captain of the Princeton, '57 team, is here from Houston to see his nephew wrestle." So, I collected my $100, which I'd won by betting that competitiveness is an "inherited trait."