1 00:00:14,480 --> 00:00:17,920 Speaker 1: You're listening to part Time Genius, the production of Kaleidoscope 2 00:00:18,040 --> 00:00:19,040 Speaker 1: and iHeartRadio. 3 00:00:23,000 --> 00:00:23,720 Speaker 2: Guess what Mango? 4 00:00:23,960 --> 00:00:24,560 Speaker 1: What's that will? 5 00:00:24,720 --> 00:00:25,079 Speaker 2: Did you know? 6 00:00:25,120 --> 00:00:27,520 Speaker 3: The chance of hitting a home run in baseball actually 7 00:00:27,680 --> 00:00:30,560 Speaker 3: varies from city to city. And maybe this isn't that 8 00:00:30,600 --> 00:00:33,879 Speaker 3: surprising when you think about the length of certain fields 9 00:00:33,960 --> 00:00:36,120 Speaker 3: or you think about the Green Monster in Boston, But 10 00:00:36,200 --> 00:00:38,839 Speaker 3: actually it goes beyond that. It has to do with 11 00:00:38,920 --> 00:00:42,120 Speaker 3: the city's elevation. So the higher a city is above 12 00:00:42,120 --> 00:00:44,320 Speaker 3: sea level, the easier it is to hit a homer 13 00:00:44,320 --> 00:00:44,920 Speaker 3: in that city. 14 00:00:45,240 --> 00:00:45,720 Speaker 1: That's so weird. 15 00:00:45,760 --> 00:00:48,199 Speaker 3: I'd never considered that, But why is that exactly? It's 16 00:00:48,200 --> 00:00:51,280 Speaker 3: actually because air density decreases the higher you go up, 17 00:00:51,360 --> 00:00:54,760 Speaker 3: and that allows objects to move through it with less resistance. So, 18 00:00:55,080 --> 00:00:57,600 Speaker 3: for example, when you throw a baseball at a higher elevation, 19 00:00:57,880 --> 00:00:59,880 Speaker 3: it tends to fly farther than it would at sea 20 00:01:00,120 --> 00:01:02,960 Speaker 3: level because there's less drag to pull the ball down. 21 00:01:03,440 --> 00:01:06,000 Speaker 3: And this thin air effect works to the batter's advantage 22 00:01:06,000 --> 00:01:08,680 Speaker 3: in two crucial ways. So, first of all, the lack 23 00:01:08,720 --> 00:01:12,200 Speaker 3: of air resistance basically rules out curveballs, meaning that pitches 24 00:01:12,280 --> 00:01:15,319 Speaker 3: will travel, you know, straighter, and they'll be easier to hit, 25 00:01:15,840 --> 00:01:18,080 Speaker 3: and then the second one. When a batter does land 26 00:01:18,120 --> 00:01:20,280 Speaker 3: a hit, there's a better chance of it becoming a 27 00:01:20,280 --> 00:01:22,119 Speaker 3: home run again thanks to that air. 28 00:01:22,480 --> 00:01:25,720 Speaker 1: So I'm curious how big an impact is this having 29 00:01:25,760 --> 00:01:27,680 Speaker 1: on games? Like how many home runs are we talking 30 00:01:27,680 --> 00:01:28,080 Speaker 1: about here? 31 00:01:28,160 --> 00:01:30,720 Speaker 3: Well, it depends on a few factors, including the equipment 32 00:01:30,720 --> 00:01:32,959 Speaker 3: that's being used, the skill level of the teams, and 33 00:01:33,000 --> 00:01:36,200 Speaker 3: of course the elevation that they're playing. So for example, 34 00:01:36,200 --> 00:01:38,720 Speaker 3: in the case of Denver's home team, the Colorado Rockies, 35 00:01:38,959 --> 00:01:41,600 Speaker 3: the effect of the low air density was significant enough 36 00:01:41,640 --> 00:01:44,360 Speaker 3: to bag them an extra home run per game for 37 00:01:44,440 --> 00:01:47,480 Speaker 3: the first seven seasons they played at Coors Field. So 38 00:01:47,520 --> 00:01:50,240 Speaker 3: from nineteen ninety five to two thousand and one, the 39 00:01:50,280 --> 00:01:53,640 Speaker 3: team averaged one point nine home runs on their away games, 40 00:01:53,880 --> 00:01:56,640 Speaker 3: but scored three point two home runs when they played 41 00:01:56,680 --> 00:01:58,640 Speaker 3: in their own mile high home turf. 42 00:01:58,680 --> 00:02:01,560 Speaker 1: Isn't that wild? That's incredible? But like, you know, you 43 00:02:01,560 --> 00:02:03,800 Speaker 1: think about the fans and like playing at home, not 44 00:02:03,800 --> 00:02:06,040 Speaker 1: even to travel, Like, how do we know those extra 45 00:02:06,120 --> 00:02:09,160 Speaker 1: runs were due to altitude and not some other factors? 46 00:02:09,320 --> 00:02:11,440 Speaker 3: Yeah, you know, actually this is kind of amazing. So 47 00:02:11,560 --> 00:02:14,680 Speaker 3: once the Rockies realized that the mountain air was impacting 48 00:02:14,720 --> 00:02:18,240 Speaker 3: their performance. An engineer at cors Field named Tony Cowell 49 00:02:18,360 --> 00:02:21,200 Speaker 3: again looking for a way to even things out, and 50 00:02:21,280 --> 00:02:24,480 Speaker 3: what he discovered was that Denver's lower atmospheric pressure had 51 00:02:24,520 --> 00:02:28,200 Speaker 3: been causing the team's baseballs to actually dry out, making 52 00:02:28,240 --> 00:02:31,680 Speaker 3: them bouncier and a little bit lighter. And Cowell reasoned 53 00:02:31,680 --> 00:02:34,440 Speaker 3: that the moisture loss had made the baseballs harder to throw, 54 00:02:34,639 --> 00:02:37,720 Speaker 3: more likely to fly when hit, and this resulted in 55 00:02:37,760 --> 00:02:40,760 Speaker 3: more home runs. So to correct the problem, Cawl did 56 00:02:40,800 --> 00:02:44,840 Speaker 3: something pretty ingenious. He installed this giant walk in humidore 57 00:02:44,919 --> 00:02:48,880 Speaker 3: at corse Field, specifically for storing these baseballs. 58 00:02:49,600 --> 00:02:52,680 Speaker 1: Like one of those climate control rooms for fancy people 59 00:02:52,720 --> 00:02:53,799 Speaker 1: who have cigars. 60 00:02:53,880 --> 00:02:56,480 Speaker 3: Yes, yeah, exactly, And it looks like one of those 61 00:02:56,480 --> 00:02:58,960 Speaker 3: big walk in coolers that they use at restaurants, except 62 00:02:59,000 --> 00:03:02,760 Speaker 3: this one maintains this steady temperature of seventy degrees fahrenheit 63 00:03:03,160 --> 00:03:06,280 Speaker 3: and fifty percent humidity, which is the optimal conditions for 64 00:03:06,360 --> 00:03:08,519 Speaker 3: storing a baseball, which I'm sure you knew already. 65 00:03:08,680 --> 00:03:11,960 Speaker 1: Oh yeah, of course, So I'm guessing the human door 66 00:03:12,080 --> 00:03:12,760 Speaker 1: did the trick. Then. 67 00:03:13,000 --> 00:03:13,200 Speaker 2: Yeah. 68 00:03:13,200 --> 00:03:15,320 Speaker 3: The Rockies started using it in two thousand and two, 69 00:03:15,560 --> 00:03:18,120 Speaker 3: and over the next nine seasons, the average number of 70 00:03:18,120 --> 00:03:21,480 Speaker 3: home runs at Corsfield dropped twenty five percent. It was 71 00:03:21,480 --> 00:03:23,680 Speaker 3: such an effective way to ensure the integrity of the 72 00:03:23,680 --> 00:03:26,240 Speaker 3: game that many other teams have since installed humidors of 73 00:03:26,240 --> 00:03:26,640 Speaker 3: their own. 74 00:03:26,919 --> 00:03:29,400 Speaker 1: That is so weird that baseball teams across the country 75 00:03:29,440 --> 00:03:34,000 Speaker 1: have humidors for the baseballs. But it's kind of unfortunate 76 00:03:34,240 --> 00:03:37,040 Speaker 1: it hurt their home run stat right, Yeah, well, you 77 00:03:37,080 --> 00:03:39,960 Speaker 1: know it wasn't completely a selfless act. The team's reputation 78 00:03:40,160 --> 00:03:42,560 Speaker 1: was on the line since the elevation was clearly affecting 79 00:03:42,560 --> 00:03:45,760 Speaker 1: their home games. Anyway, since we're talking baseball, I thought 80 00:03:45,760 --> 00:03:47,800 Speaker 1: it'd be fun to celebrate the start of this year's 81 00:03:47,800 --> 00:03:49,680 Speaker 1: baseball season by shining a light on some of the 82 00:03:49,680 --> 00:03:53,080 Speaker 1: sport's unsung heroes, from the fans of the bleachers to 83 00:03:53,160 --> 00:03:56,560 Speaker 1: the ballpark organized high above home plate. It's a big 84 00:03:56,680 --> 00:03:58,920 Speaker 1: roster to cover, But now that we've warmed up a 85 00:03:58,920 --> 00:04:22,640 Speaker 1: little bit, let's die. Hey their podcast listeners, welcome to 86 00:04:22,680 --> 00:04:25,360 Speaker 1: Part Time Genius. I'm Will Pearson, and as always I'm 87 00:04:25,400 --> 00:04:27,719 Speaker 1: joined by my good friend mangesh Hot Ticketter and on 88 00:04:27,760 --> 00:04:30,440 Speaker 1: the other side of that soundproof glass, munching his way 89 00:04:30,480 --> 00:04:32,640 Speaker 1: through a big box of crackerjack. 90 00:04:32,680 --> 00:04:34,799 Speaker 3: Actually, I didn't know they made them of this size. 91 00:04:34,839 --> 00:04:37,560 Speaker 3: It's a giant box. That is our friend and producer, 92 00:04:37,680 --> 00:04:40,880 Speaker 3: Dylan Fagan. Yeah, but I don't think he likes it 93 00:04:41,000 --> 00:04:42,919 Speaker 3: very much. Every time he takes a bite, he seems 94 00:04:42,920 --> 00:04:46,119 Speaker 3: to be wincing. Well, that's because Dylan insisted on getting 95 00:04:46,120 --> 00:04:48,960 Speaker 3: a box that still had a plastic prize inside. But 96 00:04:49,320 --> 00:04:51,720 Speaker 3: you know, since the company phased those out decades ago, 97 00:04:51,800 --> 00:04:54,440 Speaker 3: he had to resort to buy in an old, sealed 98 00:04:54,560 --> 00:04:57,440 Speaker 3: off box from eBay. So I'm guessing these aren't the 99 00:04:57,520 --> 00:05:00,520 Speaker 3: most you know, fresh Crackerjacks that are in there, so 100 00:05:00,560 --> 00:05:03,760 Speaker 3: we'll have to check that expiration day. I'm pretty sure 101 00:05:03,760 --> 00:05:06,240 Speaker 3: that popcorn was popp during the Reagan administration, if I'm 102 00:05:06,279 --> 00:05:07,120 Speaker 3: not mistaken here. 103 00:05:07,279 --> 00:05:10,120 Speaker 1: I really hope the prize is worth it. And that's 104 00:05:10,120 --> 00:05:13,239 Speaker 1: what nostalgia I really remind you of, Like Cereal boxes 105 00:05:13,320 --> 00:05:16,800 Speaker 1: used to have toys in them, Like kids don't get 106 00:05:16,839 --> 00:05:19,440 Speaker 1: any of that anymore, like all the surprises and things. 107 00:05:19,520 --> 00:05:23,359 Speaker 1: But speaking of Crackerjacks, I was curious how the snack 108 00:05:23,440 --> 00:05:26,839 Speaker 1: got so intertwined with baseball, and it turns out the 109 00:05:26,880 --> 00:05:31,039 Speaker 1: product launch at Chicago's World Fair in eighteen ninety three, 110 00:05:31,320 --> 00:05:33,040 Speaker 1: and by the turn of the century it had become 111 00:05:33,160 --> 00:05:36,640 Speaker 1: one of the top selling concessions at American ballparks, right 112 00:05:36,760 --> 00:05:39,640 Speaker 1: up there with peanuts and hot dogs. And then in 113 00:05:39,760 --> 00:05:42,520 Speaker 1: nineteen oh eight, the link between baseball and Crackerjacks was 114 00:05:42,520 --> 00:05:47,240 Speaker 1: cemented forever when this lyricist named Jack Norworth wrote baseball's 115 00:05:47,320 --> 00:05:49,960 Speaker 1: unofficial anthem, take me out to the ballgame. 116 00:05:50,200 --> 00:05:52,159 Speaker 3: That's right, And of course there's that line, buy me 117 00:05:52,200 --> 00:05:54,880 Speaker 3: some peanuts and crackerjack I don't care if I never 118 00:05:54,920 --> 00:05:55,440 Speaker 3: get back. 119 00:05:55,720 --> 00:05:59,320 Speaker 1: Yeah. But what's really interesting is that when Jack Norworth 120 00:05:59,360 --> 00:06:02,800 Speaker 1: wrote the song, he'd actually never attended a baseball game, 121 00:06:03,279 --> 00:06:06,320 Speaker 1: and for that matter, neither had the song's composer, Albert 122 00:06:06,400 --> 00:06:09,280 Speaker 1: von Tilzer. They wrote the most famous baseball song in 123 00:06:09,320 --> 00:06:12,480 Speaker 1: the world with zero firsthand knowledge of the sport they 124 00:06:12,480 --> 00:06:13,120 Speaker 1: were talking about. 125 00:06:13,240 --> 00:06:15,000 Speaker 3: That is amazing, And so I guess it's like the 126 00:06:15,040 --> 00:06:17,640 Speaker 3: song's really a cry for help, then, like they're begging 127 00:06:17,680 --> 00:06:19,480 Speaker 3: to be taken out to the ballgame because they've never 128 00:06:19,520 --> 00:06:20,120 Speaker 3: been before. 129 00:06:20,440 --> 00:06:23,919 Speaker 1: Not exactly. So the pair just recognized there was a 130 00:06:23,920 --> 00:06:26,440 Speaker 1: growing market for songs about baseball, and they managed to 131 00:06:26,480 --> 00:06:29,520 Speaker 1: write one of the catchiest choruses. Ever, But believe it 132 00:06:29,600 --> 00:06:32,400 Speaker 1: or not, there is some long forgotten context to this 133 00:06:32,520 --> 00:06:35,239 Speaker 1: song because while most people are familiar with the song's 134 00:06:35,360 --> 00:06:38,479 Speaker 1: iconic chorus, you know that it actually has two full 135 00:06:38,600 --> 00:06:41,479 Speaker 1: verses that are rarely sung. And you might think, well, 136 00:06:41,720 --> 00:06:43,920 Speaker 1: how big a difference could a few extra lines really make? 137 00:06:43,960 --> 00:06:47,720 Speaker 1: But honestly, those verses kind of recontextualize the song. 138 00:06:48,279 --> 00:06:50,240 Speaker 3: I feel like this is a big setup to tell 139 00:06:50,279 --> 00:06:52,599 Speaker 3: us that the song is actually about football this whole time. 140 00:06:52,680 --> 00:06:53,680 Speaker 2: Is that what's happening here? 141 00:06:54,839 --> 00:06:59,680 Speaker 1: No, Weirdly, the song is a feminist anthem. Yeah, it's 142 00:06:59,800 --> 00:07:02,160 Speaker 1: all there in the missing verses. So when you look 143 00:07:02,200 --> 00:07:04,600 Speaker 1: at the original lyrics and the original sheet music, the 144 00:07:04,680 --> 00:07:07,440 Speaker 1: lyrics tell the story of Katie Casey, a young woman 145 00:07:07,520 --> 00:07:10,800 Speaker 1: with baseball fever who turns down her boyfriend's invitation to 146 00:07:10,840 --> 00:07:14,000 Speaker 1: a vaudeville show and insists that he take her to 147 00:07:14,120 --> 00:07:15,280 Speaker 1: a ballgame instead. 148 00:07:15,600 --> 00:07:18,679 Speaker 3: Oh God, so like the chorus is like her counter 149 00:07:18,760 --> 00:07:20,400 Speaker 3: offer or something exactly. 150 00:07:20,600 --> 00:07:23,360 Speaker 1: And apparently she gets her way because the second verse 151 00:07:23,400 --> 00:07:26,520 Speaker 1: takes place at the ballgame and describes Katie's efforts to 152 00:07:26,680 --> 00:07:28,960 Speaker 1: rally support for the team. And I'm going to play 153 00:07:28,960 --> 00:07:35,280 Speaker 1: the recording here adk the game? Do the players right there? 154 00:07:35,560 --> 00:07:37,880 Speaker 2: For name Holy Empire? 155 00:07:38,040 --> 00:07:48,760 Speaker 1: He was when the far was just do up, Dodo young, 156 00:07:48,920 --> 00:07:49,720 Speaker 1: doer up. 157 00:07:49,760 --> 00:07:55,000 Speaker 3: The boys Tea made the gang thing this they take me, 158 00:07:55,160 --> 00:07:58,760 Speaker 3: I'll do the ball game. You know, I thought you 159 00:07:58,880 --> 00:08:01,040 Speaker 3: might be over selling by car at a feminist anthem, 160 00:08:01,080 --> 00:08:03,080 Speaker 3: But once you lay it all out, it does feel 161 00:08:03,120 --> 00:08:06,120 Speaker 3: progressive to write a sports song from a woman's perspective, 162 00:08:06,280 --> 00:08:08,320 Speaker 3: especially in the nineteen hundreds. 163 00:08:08,560 --> 00:08:11,240 Speaker 1: Yeah, and she's really a dynamic character. She's up on 164 00:08:11,280 --> 00:08:14,120 Speaker 1: her feet, she's arguing with the umpire, she's leading the 165 00:08:14,160 --> 00:08:16,600 Speaker 1: crowd in a cheer like Katie doesn't feel out of 166 00:08:16,600 --> 00:08:19,440 Speaker 1: place at all in this ballpark. And what's more is 167 00:08:19,480 --> 00:08:21,400 Speaker 1: that she seems to have a better grip on the 168 00:08:21,440 --> 00:08:23,160 Speaker 1: game than most of the men there do. 169 00:08:23,440 --> 00:08:25,720 Speaker 3: Yeah, it's interesting because the songwriter didn't seem like much 170 00:08:25,720 --> 00:08:27,680 Speaker 3: of a baseball fan, but he created this song that 171 00:08:27,760 --> 00:08:29,760 Speaker 3: seems like it comes from the point of view of one. 172 00:08:29,800 --> 00:08:31,760 Speaker 3: But do you think he based her on somebody that 173 00:08:31,800 --> 00:08:34,640 Speaker 3: he actually knew. Well, that's actually why I brought this up. 174 00:08:34,720 --> 00:08:38,000 Speaker 3: So historians now think that Katie Casey was inspired by 175 00:08:38,200 --> 00:08:41,880 Speaker 3: Jack Norworth's real life girlfriend. Her name was Trixie Fraganza, 176 00:08:42,360 --> 00:08:46,160 Speaker 3: and she was a famous vaudeville actress and outspoken suffragist 177 00:08:46,280 --> 00:08:48,200 Speaker 3: in New York City, and the two were dating at 178 00:08:48,240 --> 00:08:51,120 Speaker 3: the time Norworth wrote the song. Now Friganza was even 179 00:08:51,240 --> 00:08:54,200 Speaker 3: featured on the covers of the two original editions of 180 00:08:54,200 --> 00:08:56,800 Speaker 3: the sheet music. That's interesting, you know, it's actually kind 181 00:08:56,800 --> 00:08:59,360 Speaker 3: of a shame the verses have fallen by the wayside. 182 00:09:00,120 --> 00:09:02,120 Speaker 3: Thinking with the theme of hidden meaning and take me 183 00:09:02,160 --> 00:09:04,440 Speaker 3: out to the ballgame. What do you know about rooting 184 00:09:04,480 --> 00:09:05,559 Speaker 3: for the home team, mango? 185 00:09:06,360 --> 00:09:09,400 Speaker 1: Well, I'm a Philadelphia fan, so I generally know a 186 00:09:09,480 --> 00:09:10,599 Speaker 1: lot about heartbreak. 187 00:09:12,920 --> 00:09:15,960 Speaker 3: Yeah, that's very true. Well, the verb root has always 188 00:09:15,960 --> 00:09:18,280 Speaker 3: stuck out to me as odd, because what do plant 189 00:09:18,320 --> 00:09:21,080 Speaker 3: roots have to do with cheering on a sports team. 190 00:09:21,320 --> 00:09:24,640 Speaker 1: I mean, I guess ideas that fans feel rooted to 191 00:09:24,679 --> 00:09:26,720 Speaker 1: their home team the same way that they feel rooted 192 00:09:26,760 --> 00:09:30,120 Speaker 1: to their hometown, like they're all connected by that shared 193 00:09:30,160 --> 00:09:31,200 Speaker 1: sense of places. Yeah. 194 00:09:31,240 --> 00:09:33,520 Speaker 3: Actually I was thinking something pretty similar to that, but 195 00:09:33,559 --> 00:09:35,920 Speaker 3: when I looked into it this week, it turns out 196 00:09:35,960 --> 00:09:39,160 Speaker 3: we've got it all wrong. So, according to I know, 197 00:09:39,280 --> 00:09:41,160 Speaker 3: this is a big one to get wrong. So, according 198 00:09:41,200 --> 00:09:45,079 Speaker 3: to Canadian etymologist Gerald Cohen. The idea of quote rooting 199 00:09:45,160 --> 00:09:47,960 Speaker 3: for a sports team likely comes from animal rooting, like 200 00:09:48,000 --> 00:09:50,400 Speaker 3: when a pig digs up the ground in search of food, 201 00:09:50,480 --> 00:09:53,880 Speaker 3: and Cohen had a pretty firm support for this theory too. 202 00:09:54,040 --> 00:09:57,000 Speaker 3: He cites an eighteen eighty nine New York newspaper in 203 00:09:57,040 --> 00:09:59,640 Speaker 3: which a baseball fan was said to have quote rooted 204 00:09:59,640 --> 00:10:02,400 Speaker 3: more in energetically and with twice the freedom of a 205 00:10:02,559 --> 00:10:03,560 Speaker 3: Yorkshire porker. 206 00:10:06,040 --> 00:10:08,360 Speaker 1: I mean, that's a great quote, but it still seems 207 00:10:08,360 --> 00:10:10,440 Speaker 1: pretty weird, Like, what was it about cheering for a 208 00:10:10,480 --> 00:10:14,400 Speaker 1: team that reminded people of pigs rooting for truffles or whatever. 209 00:10:14,640 --> 00:10:17,760 Speaker 3: Well, Cohen suggested that some excited fans had stomped their 210 00:10:17,800 --> 00:10:21,880 Speaker 3: feet so ferociously while cheering that to onlookers it appeared 211 00:10:21,880 --> 00:10:24,319 Speaker 3: as though they were frantically digging a hole. 212 00:10:25,440 --> 00:10:26,600 Speaker 2: That is so weird. 213 00:10:26,720 --> 00:10:29,760 Speaker 1: Yeah, well, speaking of pigs, this is the fact I love, 214 00:10:29,840 --> 00:10:32,520 Speaker 1: and I think real pigs might appreciate it as well. 215 00:10:32,600 --> 00:10:33,360 Speaker 2: All right, what's that? 216 00:10:33,920 --> 00:10:37,680 Speaker 1: So? This fact is about a substance known as magic mud, 217 00:10:37,880 --> 00:10:41,000 Speaker 1: and for decades it's been smeared on every game ball 218 00:10:41,080 --> 00:10:44,200 Speaker 1: in Major League Baseball. So, according to players, coating a 219 00:10:44,200 --> 00:10:47,480 Speaker 1: ball with magic mud increases friction and gives pitchers a 220 00:10:47,520 --> 00:10:50,320 Speaker 1: better grip on the ball. And the strangest part is 221 00:10:50,320 --> 00:10:53,760 Speaker 1: that the magic mud is real mud. It's harvested from 222 00:10:53,800 --> 00:10:58,199 Speaker 1: a secret spot along a Delaware River tributary in South Jersey, 223 00:10:58,440 --> 00:11:02,000 Speaker 1: and then it's distributed by the MLB to each team's 224 00:11:02,080 --> 00:11:02,960 Speaker 1: equipment measure. 225 00:11:03,040 --> 00:11:04,800 Speaker 2: How weird is that is super weird? 226 00:11:04,800 --> 00:11:06,480 Speaker 3: And I always think a baseball is like, you know, 227 00:11:06,520 --> 00:11:09,040 Speaker 3: there are things that are banned from being able to 228 00:11:09,120 --> 00:11:12,080 Speaker 3: apply to baseballs, But so Major League Baseball has a 229 00:11:12,120 --> 00:11:15,560 Speaker 3: secret mud that sort of imbues baseballs with magical properties. 230 00:11:15,559 --> 00:11:17,880 Speaker 3: I mean, this honestly sounds a little bit made up. 231 00:11:18,080 --> 00:11:21,040 Speaker 1: I know. And the wildest part is that until just recently, 232 00:11:21,120 --> 00:11:24,760 Speaker 1: nobody knew if it was just another weird like baseball superstition, 233 00:11:25,080 --> 00:11:28,560 Speaker 1: or if the mud really does make the balls perform better. 234 00:11:29,000 --> 00:11:32,640 Speaker 1: But then in twenty twenty four, researchers that UPenn finally 235 00:11:32,640 --> 00:11:34,920 Speaker 1: got their hands on a sample of the mud and 236 00:11:35,000 --> 00:11:37,280 Speaker 1: they were able to conduct a series of experiments to 237 00:11:37,320 --> 00:11:41,199 Speaker 1: gauge its spreadability, its stickiness, and its grip potential. 238 00:11:41,559 --> 00:11:43,480 Speaker 3: I mean, this is one of those jobs that just 239 00:11:43,520 --> 00:11:46,280 Speaker 3: sounds pretty fun, like getting the play around with mud, 240 00:11:46,360 --> 00:11:49,520 Speaker 3: slopping it onto baseballs, measuring how sticky it gets. 241 00:11:49,520 --> 00:11:51,560 Speaker 1: Sign me up for that, I know. But it was 242 00:11:51,600 --> 00:11:54,839 Speaker 1: a little bit more involved than that. So in the end, 243 00:11:54,960 --> 00:11:57,559 Speaker 1: the team's work wound up confirming what the MLB knew 244 00:11:57,640 --> 00:12:00,679 Speaker 1: all along, which is that the mud really is magic. 245 00:12:01,080 --> 00:12:03,800 Speaker 1: As one of the study authors puts it, this is 246 00:12:03,840 --> 00:12:07,079 Speaker 1: the magical thing. The mud spreads like face cream and 247 00:12:07,200 --> 00:12:08,640 Speaker 1: grips like sandpaper. 248 00:12:09,880 --> 00:12:13,480 Speaker 3: Okay, I mean those properties, are they really unique to 249 00:12:13,520 --> 00:12:16,440 Speaker 3: this specific mud in New Jersey, Like, there's no way 250 00:12:16,480 --> 00:12:18,240 Speaker 3: to replicate this in a lab or something. 251 00:12:18,800 --> 00:12:21,160 Speaker 1: So the weird thing is that MLB has looked into 252 00:12:21,160 --> 00:12:24,600 Speaker 1: replacing the magic mud with synthetic lubricants, but so far 253 00:12:25,120 --> 00:12:27,959 Speaker 1: all of their attempts to recreate the MUD's mechanical properties 254 00:12:28,000 --> 00:12:31,040 Speaker 1: have been a bust to this point. So right now, 255 00:12:31,080 --> 00:12:33,440 Speaker 1: it's actually much easier just to keep the tradition going 256 00:12:33,520 --> 00:12:35,800 Speaker 1: and keep using the real thing, which I kind of love. 257 00:12:36,120 --> 00:12:37,080 Speaker 2: Yeah, no, I do too. 258 00:12:37,200 --> 00:12:39,840 Speaker 3: I mean it is interesting with this magic mud stuff 259 00:12:39,920 --> 00:12:42,199 Speaker 3: clearly being sanctioned by the league, and like I was 260 00:12:42,200 --> 00:12:44,880 Speaker 3: saying earlier, you know you still hear cases of pitchers 261 00:12:44,880 --> 00:12:48,439 Speaker 3: applying other sticky substances to balls to make their pitches 262 00:12:48,480 --> 00:12:50,520 Speaker 3: spind faster and that sort of thing. 263 00:12:50,640 --> 00:12:53,160 Speaker 1: Yeah, which is obviously considered cheating, right. 264 00:12:53,280 --> 00:12:55,559 Speaker 3: Yeah, in the cases of things other than this magic 265 00:12:55,600 --> 00:12:58,160 Speaker 3: mud from New Jersey, I guess. But you know, players 266 00:12:58,200 --> 00:13:01,000 Speaker 3: aren't supposed to doctor the ball with any foreign material, 267 00:13:01,080 --> 00:13:03,679 Speaker 3: so there's a limit to how sticky a baseball should be. 268 00:13:03,760 --> 00:13:06,880 Speaker 3: But as we've shown, this is a sport steeped in tradition, 269 00:13:07,120 --> 00:13:10,239 Speaker 3: and one of the oldest and most readily embraced traditions 270 00:13:10,320 --> 00:13:14,000 Speaker 3: is covertly smearing goop on the ball when nobody's looking. 271 00:13:14,240 --> 00:13:15,880 Speaker 1: Well. I definitely want to hear all about it, but 272 00:13:15,920 --> 00:13:28,560 Speaker 1: before we do, let's take a quick break. 273 00:13:32,920 --> 00:13:34,800 Speaker 3: You're listening to Part Time Genius and we're talking about 274 00:13:34,800 --> 00:13:38,080 Speaker 3: the lesser known heroes and of course villains of America's 275 00:13:38,120 --> 00:13:41,000 Speaker 3: favorite pastime. And since we just talked about magic mud, 276 00:13:41,000 --> 00:13:42,440 Speaker 3: I think it's a good time to examine one of 277 00:13:42,440 --> 00:13:45,440 Speaker 3: the worst kept dirty secrets in American baseball. That is, 278 00:13:45,480 --> 00:13:48,480 Speaker 3: of course, the dreaded spitball pitch. Mango, I know this 279 00:13:48,600 --> 00:13:50,680 Speaker 3: was one of your favorites. You love throwing the spitball. 280 00:13:50,840 --> 00:13:52,920 Speaker 3: But before we get to that, Mango, were you much 281 00:13:52,960 --> 00:13:53,840 Speaker 3: of a baseball player. 282 00:13:54,800 --> 00:13:58,840 Speaker 1: Absolutely not. I mean I wish I played more. We 283 00:13:58,920 --> 00:14:01,520 Speaker 1: played my neighborhood of course, and things like whiffle ball 284 00:14:01,559 --> 00:14:04,480 Speaker 1: and whatever. But in terms of rec league, I really 285 00:14:04,800 --> 00:14:08,679 Speaker 1: only played T ball, and I was a terror on 286 00:14:08,720 --> 00:14:11,640 Speaker 1: the field. Like I would get so excited when I 287 00:14:11,679 --> 00:14:13,720 Speaker 1: hit the ball and I would fling the bat behind 288 00:14:13,720 --> 00:14:18,240 Speaker 1: me and race the first base. I injured the volunteer parent. 289 00:14:18,320 --> 00:14:21,320 Speaker 1: There's so much like the shin so much they had 290 00:14:21,360 --> 00:14:23,080 Speaker 1: to watch from behind the fence. 291 00:14:23,400 --> 00:14:23,520 Speaker 2: Uh. 292 00:14:23,880 --> 00:14:28,120 Speaker 1: And also my position was shortstop, and the ball came 293 00:14:28,160 --> 00:14:31,200 Speaker 1: to me like every single play, but our first baseman, 294 00:14:31,280 --> 00:14:33,680 Speaker 1: who was the coach's kid, could not catch a ball. 295 00:14:33,800 --> 00:14:35,160 Speaker 1: So I would get the ball and then I would 296 00:14:35,200 --> 00:14:37,000 Speaker 1: race over and tag people on their way to first 297 00:14:37,000 --> 00:14:41,880 Speaker 1: base regularly. And in T ball you play like you 298 00:14:41,880 --> 00:14:44,760 Speaker 1: know there's not three outs an inning. Like every single person. 299 00:14:44,560 --> 00:14:47,200 Speaker 3: Reade, I could picture you doing that because you were 300 00:14:47,200 --> 00:14:49,400 Speaker 3: always fast. I could picture you always just trying to 301 00:14:49,480 --> 00:14:51,080 Speaker 3: chase them down every single time. You know, it was 302 00:14:51,080 --> 00:14:54,360 Speaker 3: around that same age where I broke my arm one year, 303 00:14:54,400 --> 00:14:57,400 Speaker 3: and that and that dreaded dodgeball accident. You may remember 304 00:14:57,440 --> 00:14:59,600 Speaker 3: hearing about when when my pe teacher threw the ball 305 00:14:59,680 --> 00:15:01,880 Speaker 3: so hard at me I flipped over and broke my arm. 306 00:15:02,400 --> 00:15:04,680 Speaker 3: So what it meant for baseball is they actually allowed 307 00:15:04,680 --> 00:15:07,120 Speaker 3: me to bat one armed and then have somebody else. 308 00:15:07,000 --> 00:15:09,680 Speaker 2: Run for you. So still got to play. 309 00:15:09,720 --> 00:15:11,240 Speaker 1: And that's how you ended up on a cover of 310 00:15:11,320 --> 00:15:12,080 Speaker 1: Sport magazine. 311 00:15:12,160 --> 00:15:17,720 Speaker 3: That's right, exactly, all right, Well, let's get back to 312 00:15:17,760 --> 00:15:21,160 Speaker 3: the spitball. So the spitball is known by many colorful nicknames, 313 00:15:21,320 --> 00:15:24,520 Speaker 3: including the spitter or the wet one. Throwing a spitball 314 00:15:24,600 --> 00:15:27,160 Speaker 3: was a common technique used by pitchers in the early 315 00:15:27,320 --> 00:15:30,080 Speaker 3: days of baseball. Now I involved coating a ball with 316 00:15:30,240 --> 00:15:33,600 Speaker 3: foreign substances like salve actually most of the time, and 317 00:15:33,640 --> 00:15:36,560 Speaker 3: it was thought to provide a distinctive dvantage on the mound. 318 00:15:37,040 --> 00:15:39,640 Speaker 1: You know, I've never quite understood this, like how to 319 00:15:39,760 --> 00:15:41,400 Speaker 1: spitting on the ball actually help? 320 00:15:41,560 --> 00:15:44,000 Speaker 3: Well, Sometimes the spit was used to reduce the friction 321 00:15:44,080 --> 00:15:46,560 Speaker 3: between the pitcher's fingers and the ball, causing it to 322 00:15:46,760 --> 00:15:49,240 Speaker 3: kind of slip out of their hand with less spin 323 00:15:49,360 --> 00:15:52,120 Speaker 3: than a regular pitch. And other cases, though, the spit 324 00:15:52,240 --> 00:15:55,320 Speaker 3: was actually used to change the aerodynamic properties of the ball. 325 00:15:55,640 --> 00:15:58,680 Speaker 3: Applying spit to one side change the ball's wind resistance, 326 00:15:58,760 --> 00:16:00,960 Speaker 3: and weight just slightly, you know, would affect how it 327 00:16:01,040 --> 00:16:04,240 Speaker 3: behaved in the air. So, when thrown correctly, a spitball 328 00:16:04,240 --> 00:16:07,400 Speaker 3: would drop straight down as it flew, causing the batter 329 00:16:07,480 --> 00:16:09,720 Speaker 3: to hit the top part of the ball on a swing, 330 00:16:10,080 --> 00:16:13,160 Speaker 3: and that would result in them hitting just a ground ball. Now, 331 00:16:13,160 --> 00:16:15,800 Speaker 3: the downside of this tactic was that it frequently led 332 00:16:15,800 --> 00:16:19,040 Speaker 3: to fewer home runs and more low scoring games, which 333 00:16:19,080 --> 00:16:22,360 Speaker 3: you'd imagine weren't exactly riveting to watch. In fact, these 334 00:16:22,400 --> 00:16:25,680 Speaker 3: dole outcomes became so routine that early twentieth century baseball 335 00:16:25,720 --> 00:16:28,000 Speaker 3: is now referred to as the dead ball era. 336 00:16:28,400 --> 00:16:31,200 Speaker 1: That's weird. I've never heard about that. But I'm curious, like, 337 00:16:31,280 --> 00:16:33,280 Speaker 1: do we know who's to blame for this? Like, is 338 00:16:33,800 --> 00:16:36,960 Speaker 1: there an inventor the spitball that's credited for this? 339 00:16:37,280 --> 00:16:40,000 Speaker 3: Well, nobody really knows when the first spitball was thrown 340 00:16:40,360 --> 00:16:42,680 Speaker 3: or who it was thrown to, but the pitch has 341 00:16:42,720 --> 00:16:45,360 Speaker 3: definitely been used since, you know, at least the early 342 00:16:45,480 --> 00:16:49,560 Speaker 3: nineteen hundreds. So George Hildemran of the Brooklyn Superbus is 343 00:16:49,680 --> 00:16:52,760 Speaker 3: known to have experimented with a technique in nineteen oh two. 344 00:16:53,160 --> 00:16:55,240 Speaker 3: He's also said to have shared the trick with several 345 00:16:55,280 --> 00:16:59,680 Speaker 3: other spitball pioneers, including Frank Cordon and Elmer Stricklett, who 346 00:16:59,720 --> 00:17:02,560 Speaker 3: in turn taught the move to others. Now the first 347 00:17:02,560 --> 00:17:05,800 Speaker 3: pitchers to lean heavily on the spitball were Jack Chesbro 348 00:17:05,960 --> 00:17:08,240 Speaker 3: of the New York Highlanders and Ed Walsh of the 349 00:17:08,280 --> 00:17:11,520 Speaker 3: Chicago White Sox. Now, the dirty pitch helped them become 350 00:17:11,600 --> 00:17:15,080 Speaker 3: the only American league pitchers to ever win forty games 351 00:17:15,080 --> 00:17:18,280 Speaker 3: in a single season, which is a tremendous number of games. 352 00:17:18,600 --> 00:17:21,600 Speaker 3: So that success encouraged other pitchers to follow their lead, 353 00:17:21,640 --> 00:17:24,560 Speaker 3: and by the nineteen tens, throwing a spitball was a common, 354 00:17:24,720 --> 00:17:27,400 Speaker 3: if not controversial practice in professional baseball. 355 00:17:28,040 --> 00:17:30,120 Speaker 1: I love that this was something pitchers had to learn 356 00:17:30,200 --> 00:17:32,520 Speaker 1: from a fellow player, like there's some secret art to 357 00:17:32,600 --> 00:17:34,480 Speaker 1: spitting on a baseball something. 358 00:17:35,080 --> 00:17:37,879 Speaker 3: I don't think they needed lessons in proper spit application. 359 00:17:38,040 --> 00:17:40,960 Speaker 3: It's the throwing technique that's pretty hard to nail down. 360 00:17:41,240 --> 00:17:43,240 Speaker 3: Not to mention that spitting on the ball wasn't something 361 00:17:43,280 --> 00:17:46,080 Speaker 3: that most players would organically think to do, so the 362 00:17:46,160 --> 00:17:48,680 Speaker 3: idea had to be introduced by someone who already knew 363 00:17:48,760 --> 00:17:52,120 Speaker 3: its advantages. I should note, though, that despite the name 364 00:17:52,240 --> 00:17:56,119 Speaker 3: not every spitballer used saliva to make their pitchers less predictable. 365 00:17:56,440 --> 00:17:59,760 Speaker 3: They also doctored baseballs with lots of other slick substances, 366 00:17:59,800 --> 00:18:04,119 Speaker 3: and including petroleum, jelly, hair products, and of course good 367 00:18:04,200 --> 00:18:05,320 Speaker 3: old fashioned mud. 368 00:18:05,600 --> 00:18:08,480 Speaker 1: So it sounds like this was an open secret. Did 369 00:18:08,640 --> 00:18:10,520 Speaker 1: anyone ever object to it in this early era? 370 00:18:10,760 --> 00:18:13,080 Speaker 3: Oh definitely, I mean the ethics of the spitball were 371 00:18:13,119 --> 00:18:16,040 Speaker 3: always hotly contested. In fact, there were rules dating back 372 00:18:16,040 --> 00:18:19,520 Speaker 3: to the eighteen nineties that prohibited players from defacing or 373 00:18:19,760 --> 00:18:22,840 Speaker 3: otherwise damaging the ball, and people argued on both sides 374 00:18:22,880 --> 00:18:25,480 Speaker 3: whether it was appropriate to cover a ball in saliva, 375 00:18:25,520 --> 00:18:29,159 Speaker 3: which is just the weird sentence to say gross. But 376 00:18:29,280 --> 00:18:31,960 Speaker 3: it didn't matter either way, though, because the only penalty 377 00:18:32,000 --> 00:18:35,320 Speaker 3: for an illegal pitch was a five dollars fine, and 378 00:18:35,359 --> 00:18:39,280 Speaker 3: even that was rarely imposed, And that ambiguity allowed spitballing 379 00:18:39,359 --> 00:18:42,080 Speaker 3: to thrive for a time. But the arguments against it, 380 00:18:42,160 --> 00:18:43,720 Speaker 3: of course continued to multiply. 381 00:18:44,080 --> 00:18:46,520 Speaker 1: You mean, like how gross it is to throw a 382 00:18:46,520 --> 00:18:50,240 Speaker 1: ball code with human spit argument in. 383 00:18:50,280 --> 00:18:53,119 Speaker 3: Itself, Yeah, that was the most frequent complaint, But others 384 00:18:53,160 --> 00:18:55,399 Speaker 3: worried that throwing a spitball put too much strain on 385 00:18:55,440 --> 00:18:58,199 Speaker 3: a pitcher's arm and could actually do serious damage if 386 00:18:58,359 --> 00:19:02,119 Speaker 3: used to frequently. End Though, the spitball wasn't banned because 387 00:19:02,160 --> 00:19:05,720 Speaker 3: it was unsanitary or unfair or dangerous, the real reason 388 00:19:05,760 --> 00:19:08,600 Speaker 3: it was outlawed was to make the sport more exciting 389 00:19:08,640 --> 00:19:12,280 Speaker 3: for fans and profitable for the team owners. So spectators 390 00:19:12,280 --> 00:19:15,800 Speaker 3: were tired of these low scoring games, mixing the spitball 391 00:19:15,840 --> 00:19:18,199 Speaker 3: and others so called freak pitches was a way to 392 00:19:18,240 --> 00:19:21,680 Speaker 3: inject some much needed life into the games. Generating more 393 00:19:21,760 --> 00:19:25,000 Speaker 3: fly balls and home runs. Kind of keeps the crowd invested. 394 00:19:25,280 --> 00:19:27,960 Speaker 1: That makes sense, and so when did this spitball band 395 00:19:28,000 --> 00:19:28,679 Speaker 1: go into effect? 396 00:19:28,840 --> 00:19:32,160 Speaker 3: So officially, the nineteen twenty season was the last year 397 00:19:32,160 --> 00:19:35,200 Speaker 3: in which spitballs were allowed on the field, and after 398 00:19:35,240 --> 00:19:38,240 Speaker 3: that any player caught defacing the ball with saliva or 399 00:19:38,240 --> 00:19:40,720 Speaker 3: anything else was supposed to be expelled from the game 400 00:19:40,800 --> 00:19:44,840 Speaker 3: and possibly for an entire season. However, in a surprising 401 00:19:44,880 --> 00:19:49,359 Speaker 3: show of diplomacy, seventeen spitball pitchers were quote grandfathered in 402 00:19:49,400 --> 00:19:52,439 Speaker 3: as an exception to the rule, which just also seems 403 00:19:52,480 --> 00:19:54,720 Speaker 3: so strange to let them play by a different rule, 404 00:19:54,760 --> 00:19:57,320 Speaker 3: But they were all players who had made a living 405 00:19:57,440 --> 00:20:00,000 Speaker 3: on throwing doctored pitches, and who wouldn't have had much 406 00:20:00,080 --> 00:20:02,520 Speaker 3: of a career without them, so out of respect for 407 00:20:02,560 --> 00:20:07,359 Speaker 3: their livelihood, that handful of players, dubbed the bona fide spitballers, 408 00:20:07,400 --> 00:20:10,040 Speaker 3: were allowed to keep throwing the pitch for the remainder 409 00:20:10,119 --> 00:20:13,679 Speaker 3: of their time in the league is so unfair, and 410 00:20:13,720 --> 00:20:16,760 Speaker 3: as a result, the last player who was legally allowed 411 00:20:16,800 --> 00:20:20,000 Speaker 3: to throw a spitball was Burley Grimes. And of course 412 00:20:20,080 --> 00:20:22,440 Speaker 3: that's got to be his name, right, like Burley Grimes 413 00:20:22,480 --> 00:20:25,800 Speaker 3: throwing the spitballers. He played for the Pittsburgh Pirates, and 414 00:20:26,119 --> 00:20:28,080 Speaker 3: he used the pitch to help defeat the New York 415 00:20:28,080 --> 00:20:31,679 Speaker 3: Giants on September tenth, nineteen thirty four, and then he 416 00:20:31,760 --> 00:20:34,520 Speaker 3: retired from the sport ten days later, taking the league 417 00:20:34,640 --> 00:20:36,360 Speaker 3: sanctioned spitball with him. 418 00:20:36,720 --> 00:20:39,320 Speaker 1: I love that. It's such a crazy fact, Like can 419 00:20:39,320 --> 00:20:42,280 Speaker 1: you imagine if, like some people were used to tackling 420 00:20:42,320 --> 00:20:46,240 Speaker 1: with a horse collar football? Oh no, you keep doing it, grandfather, 421 00:20:46,560 --> 00:20:48,359 Speaker 1: and everyone else has to tackle different. 422 00:20:48,119 --> 00:20:50,280 Speaker 2: I bet I bet Burley Grimes did that too. 423 00:20:52,720 --> 00:20:57,280 Speaker 1: So obviously there were players who kept throwing spitballs after this, right, Oh. 424 00:20:57,000 --> 00:21:00,000 Speaker 3: Absolutely, and pretty blatantly in some cases. So for example, 425 00:21:00,080 --> 00:21:01,919 Speaker 3: up one of the most famous players to use the 426 00:21:01,960 --> 00:21:04,480 Speaker 3: dirty pitch was gay Lord Perry, a star pitcher in 427 00:21:04,520 --> 00:21:08,240 Speaker 3: the nineteen seventies. Throwing spitballs and making the batter think 428 00:21:08,280 --> 00:21:11,479 Speaker 3: he was throwing spitballs were a huge part of Perry's 429 00:21:11,560 --> 00:21:14,720 Speaker 3: pitching style, and he leaned hard into that reputation too, 430 00:21:14,760 --> 00:21:17,480 Speaker 3: even going so far as to name his memoir, Me 431 00:21:17,720 --> 00:21:18,359 Speaker 3: and the Spitter. 432 00:21:19,520 --> 00:21:20,720 Speaker 1: That is so ridiculous. 433 00:21:20,800 --> 00:21:22,040 Speaker 2: It is super ridiculous. 434 00:21:22,040 --> 00:21:24,680 Speaker 3: But despite his flagrant flawing of the rules, Perry wasn't 435 00:21:24,680 --> 00:21:27,520 Speaker 3: ejected from a game for using the spitball until his 436 00:21:27,640 --> 00:21:30,760 Speaker 3: twenty first season in the major leagues, and even then 437 00:21:30,840 --> 00:21:33,280 Speaker 3: he came right back the next year for a final season, 438 00:21:33,359 --> 00:21:36,720 Speaker 3: and was later inducted into the Baseball Hall of Fame. Now, 439 00:21:36,760 --> 00:21:38,760 Speaker 3: I do want to note, though, that in recent years, 440 00:21:38,800 --> 00:21:40,960 Speaker 3: the MLB has cracked down quite a bit on the 441 00:21:41,040 --> 00:21:44,960 Speaker 3: use of foreign substances on baseballs. Beginning in twenty twenty one, 442 00:21:45,240 --> 00:21:47,639 Speaker 3: pitchers who violate the rules are now subject to a 443 00:21:47,720 --> 00:21:51,280 Speaker 3: ten game suspension, and while the harsher punishment isn't likely 444 00:21:51,320 --> 00:21:53,960 Speaker 3: to end the practice altogether, it should at least make 445 00:21:54,000 --> 00:21:57,040 Speaker 3: pitchers think twice before they you know, Hakelugi on the. 446 00:21:56,960 --> 00:21:58,000 Speaker 2: Ball or whatever. 447 00:22:00,080 --> 00:22:04,679 Speaker 1: That we've totally groast out our listeners. We switch gears 448 00:22:04,680 --> 00:22:06,560 Speaker 1: and talk about a much cleaner way to line up 449 00:22:06,560 --> 00:22:07,280 Speaker 1: with baseball game. 450 00:22:07,440 --> 00:22:09,159 Speaker 3: That sounds good, But before we do that, let's take 451 00:22:09,200 --> 00:22:24,320 Speaker 3: a quick break. 452 00:22:25,200 --> 00:22:27,520 Speaker 1: Welcome back to part time Genius. Okay, well, so we've 453 00:22:27,560 --> 00:22:32,160 Speaker 1: talked about a few different baseball icons today, Crackerjack, the Spitball, 454 00:22:32,280 --> 00:22:34,760 Speaker 1: take me out to the ballgame. But there's one major 455 00:22:34,800 --> 00:22:37,920 Speaker 1: part of the baseball experience that we still haven't covered yet, 456 00:22:37,960 --> 00:22:41,960 Speaker 1: and that is pipe organ music, the stuff that drifts 457 00:22:42,000 --> 00:22:44,359 Speaker 1: over a ballpark during just about every game. 458 00:22:44,640 --> 00:22:45,960 Speaker 2: Yeah. I've always wondered that. 459 00:22:46,000 --> 00:22:47,760 Speaker 3: I mean not that I mind that it's actually sort 460 00:22:47,800 --> 00:22:50,520 Speaker 3: of a fun and funny part of the whole experience, 461 00:22:50,560 --> 00:22:53,080 Speaker 3: But why is there so much organ music in baseball? 462 00:22:53,119 --> 00:22:56,080 Speaker 3: Like it's hard to imagine the sport without it, and 463 00:22:56,160 --> 00:22:57,679 Speaker 3: yet it still feels kind of random. 464 00:22:58,359 --> 00:23:00,280 Speaker 1: Yeah, So to answer that, we have to go back 465 00:23:00,320 --> 00:23:04,000 Speaker 1: to a largely ignored milestone in sports history, which is 466 00:23:04,200 --> 00:23:06,760 Speaker 1: the day when the Chicago Cubs became the first major 467 00:23:06,840 --> 00:23:09,920 Speaker 1: league team to have live organ music performed at a ballgame. 468 00:23:10,320 --> 00:23:12,639 Speaker 1: So the story goes that in the spring of nineteen 469 00:23:12,680 --> 00:23:15,600 Speaker 1: forty one, the Cubs owner Philip K. Wrigley wanted a 470 00:23:15,600 --> 00:23:18,439 Speaker 1: way to give fans a little pregame entertainment as they 471 00:23:18,480 --> 00:23:21,680 Speaker 1: took to their seats, So he installed a pipe organ 472 00:23:21,800 --> 00:23:24,520 Speaker 1: behind the grandstand of Wrigley Field, and he hired a 473 00:23:24,560 --> 00:23:27,879 Speaker 1: local organist named Ray Nelson to provide the tunes. The 474 00:23:27,960 --> 00:23:31,280 Speaker 1: inaugural concert took place on April twenty sixth that year, 475 00:23:31,560 --> 00:23:34,920 Speaker 1: just before an afternoon game between the Cubs and their rivals, 476 00:23:35,000 --> 00:23:36,280 Speaker 1: the Cardinals. 477 00:23:36,160 --> 00:23:38,760 Speaker 3: And I'm guessing one of the tunes Nelson provided was 478 00:23:39,040 --> 00:23:40,320 Speaker 3: back to what we were talking about. 479 00:23:40,119 --> 00:23:41,120 Speaker 2: Take Me out to the ballgame. 480 00:23:41,520 --> 00:23:44,119 Speaker 1: Weirdly, there isn't a record of which songs he played, 481 00:23:44,119 --> 00:23:46,879 Speaker 1: but that seems pretty likely. But we do know some 482 00:23:47,000 --> 00:23:49,880 Speaker 1: other odd details about the concert thanks to local reporting. 483 00:23:50,280 --> 00:23:53,600 Speaker 1: According to the Chicago Tribune, more than eighteen thousand fans 484 00:23:53,640 --> 00:23:56,160 Speaker 1: were in attendance that day, and all of them were 485 00:23:56,160 --> 00:23:59,960 Speaker 1: completely delighted by Nelson's performance. And that's despite the fact 486 00:24:00,080 --> 00:24:03,119 Speaker 1: that the music wasn't allowed to continue during the actual game. 487 00:24:03,720 --> 00:24:05,439 Speaker 2: And why is that so? 488 00:24:05,720 --> 00:24:07,800 Speaker 1: Apparently no one had bothered to clear the rights for 489 00:24:07,880 --> 00:24:10,320 Speaker 1: the songs, and because the game was set to be 490 00:24:10,359 --> 00:24:12,960 Speaker 1: broadcast on the radio, they had to stop the music 491 00:24:13,160 --> 00:24:16,200 Speaker 1: before the first pitch was thrown. The same thing happened 492 00:24:16,240 --> 00:24:18,760 Speaker 1: at a game the following day, but the team's manager 493 00:24:18,800 --> 00:24:20,840 Speaker 1: promised that by the time the Cubs returned from their 494 00:24:20,920 --> 00:24:23,560 Speaker 1: upcoming away games, they would have a deal worked out 495 00:24:23,560 --> 00:24:26,240 Speaker 1: with BMI, the music publishing company. 496 00:24:26,440 --> 00:24:28,000 Speaker 2: Yeah, I had never thought about that before. 497 00:24:28,040 --> 00:24:29,879 Speaker 3: So once they got the music right squared away, the 498 00:24:29,920 --> 00:24:33,720 Speaker 3: concerts became just like a more regular thing at Cubs games. 499 00:24:34,000 --> 00:24:36,680 Speaker 1: That was the plan, but unfortunately working out the details 500 00:24:36,680 --> 00:24:40,440 Speaker 1: with BMI proved much much trickier than they'd expected, so 501 00:24:40,480 --> 00:24:43,119 Speaker 1: by mid May, both the organ and the organists had 502 00:24:43,119 --> 00:24:46,320 Speaker 1: disappeared from Wrigley Field. Aside from that one day in 503 00:24:46,400 --> 00:24:49,240 Speaker 1: nineteen forty one, the Cub's home turf was actually organ 504 00:24:49,320 --> 00:24:52,880 Speaker 1: music free until the late nineteen sixties, which is kind 505 00:24:52,920 --> 00:24:57,000 Speaker 1: of unimaginable. Wow. But in the meantime, other MLB teams 506 00:24:57,040 --> 00:24:59,600 Speaker 1: took notice of Wrigley's experiment and they decided to try 507 00:24:59,600 --> 00:25:02,639 Speaker 1: it for them. So over at Ebbitts Field in Brooklyn, 508 00:25:02,800 --> 00:25:05,960 Speaker 1: Gladys Gooding was hired to play the organ during Dodgers games, 509 00:25:06,000 --> 00:25:09,440 Speaker 1: making her the first full time organist in Major League Baseball, 510 00:25:09,800 --> 00:25:13,480 Speaker 1: and Gooding continued in her role as quote the Ebbitts 511 00:25:13,560 --> 00:25:17,399 Speaker 1: Field orgon Queen from nineteen forty two to nineteen fifty seven, 512 00:25:17,440 --> 00:25:19,480 Speaker 1: but then she stepped down when the Dodgers moved to. 513 00:25:19,480 --> 00:25:21,960 Speaker 3: LA And I'm curious, was organ music kind of the 514 00:25:22,000 --> 00:25:23,800 Speaker 3: norm at baseball games by that point? 515 00:25:24,359 --> 00:25:25,879 Speaker 1: I mean, it was definitely on its way, but the 516 00:25:25,880 --> 00:25:29,119 Speaker 1: instrument didn't truly become a fixture of the ballpark until 517 00:25:29,160 --> 00:25:32,160 Speaker 1: the nineteen sixties and actually the early seventies. 518 00:25:32,359 --> 00:25:34,520 Speaker 3: Oh really, I'm actually surprised that was that late in 519 00:25:34,520 --> 00:25:35,399 Speaker 3: the game, like right. 520 00:25:35,280 --> 00:25:36,760 Speaker 2: In the middle of the rock and roll era. 521 00:25:36,800 --> 00:25:38,919 Speaker 3: It seems kind of a weird time for people to 522 00:25:38,960 --> 00:25:40,879 Speaker 3: be embracing this pipe organ music. 523 00:25:41,160 --> 00:25:43,280 Speaker 1: Yeah, but you know, the doors had made it popular, so. 524 00:25:43,240 --> 00:25:45,280 Speaker 2: They had too, right, right, of course. 525 00:25:45,359 --> 00:25:48,080 Speaker 1: But you know, nostalgia's always been a big part of 526 00:25:48,080 --> 00:25:50,960 Speaker 1: baseball's appeal, and by that point, plenty of fans had 527 00:25:51,000 --> 00:25:53,760 Speaker 1: fond memories of hearing ballpark organ music in their youth. 528 00:25:54,280 --> 00:25:54,680 Speaker 2: That' said. 529 00:25:54,760 --> 00:25:56,639 Speaker 1: A lot of the credit for the organ's late stage 530 00:25:56,640 --> 00:26:00,840 Speaker 1: ascendancy belongs to this woman named Nancy, who was the 531 00:26:00,880 --> 00:26:04,560 Speaker 1: longtime organist for the Chicago White Sox. When she first 532 00:26:04,600 --> 00:26:07,359 Speaker 1: took the job at Kamiski Park in nineteen seventy, she 533 00:26:07,400 --> 00:26:09,919 Speaker 1: pretty much stuck to the baseball playbook right like, she 534 00:26:10,000 --> 00:26:12,639 Speaker 1: played the Star of Spangled Banner at the start of 535 00:26:12,640 --> 00:26:15,240 Speaker 1: every game and take Me out to the Ballgame during 536 00:26:15,240 --> 00:26:18,360 Speaker 1: the seventh inning stretch. And she also carried the tradition 537 00:26:18,520 --> 00:26:21,560 Speaker 1: on of musically introducing the players at bat by playing 538 00:26:21,560 --> 00:26:24,520 Speaker 1: the anthem of their home state. But after a while, 539 00:26:24,920 --> 00:26:27,639 Speaker 1: she realized that the state songs were kind of feeling 540 00:26:27,720 --> 00:26:30,000 Speaker 1: a bit dated and didn't get much of a reaction 541 00:26:30,080 --> 00:26:32,680 Speaker 1: from crowds that were now used to rock and roll, 542 00:26:32,760 --> 00:26:35,159 Speaker 1: So from then on she started playing songs that fans 543 00:26:35,160 --> 00:26:38,640 Speaker 1: were more familiar with, while always trying to, like somehow 544 00:26:38,680 --> 00:26:41,280 Speaker 1: tie the song to a player's name, or their number 545 00:26:41,359 --> 00:26:42,280 Speaker 1: or their disposition. 546 00:26:42,600 --> 00:26:46,000 Speaker 3: Wait, so is Nancy Faust the person that created walk 547 00:26:46,080 --> 00:26:46,560 Speaker 3: up music? 548 00:26:46,840 --> 00:26:49,720 Speaker 1: Yeah, she actually did, but she didn't stop there. So, 549 00:26:50,119 --> 00:26:53,439 Speaker 1: fueled by the crowd's positive responses, she started using the 550 00:26:53,560 --> 00:26:56,000 Speaker 1: organ to react to the game itself. So when someone 551 00:26:56,000 --> 00:26:59,080 Speaker 1: stole a bass, she plays smooth Criminal. And if someone 552 00:26:59,240 --> 00:27:01,960 Speaker 1: streaked naked or cross a field, as often happened in 553 00:27:01,960 --> 00:27:05,359 Speaker 1: those days, she would play an organ rendition of Is 554 00:27:05,400 --> 00:27:10,480 Speaker 1: That All There is? Classy but hands down though, Nancy's 555 00:27:10,520 --> 00:27:13,320 Speaker 1: most famous addition to the baseball songbook has to be 556 00:27:13,359 --> 00:27:16,080 Speaker 1: the one that she played during strikeouts, which is nineteen 557 00:27:16,119 --> 00:27:18,480 Speaker 1: sixty nine. It's Nana Hey Hey kissing. 558 00:27:19,440 --> 00:27:19,960 Speaker 2: Yeah. 559 00:27:20,280 --> 00:27:22,480 Speaker 1: So, actually, here's a clip of her playing it at 560 00:27:22,480 --> 00:27:22,879 Speaker 1: a game. 561 00:27:33,840 --> 00:27:35,720 Speaker 3: You know, I see what you mean about this livening 562 00:27:35,800 --> 00:27:38,080 Speaker 3: up the game, Like there's more than just background music. 563 00:27:38,119 --> 00:27:40,440 Speaker 3: She was giving the crowds something to laugh at or 564 00:27:40,480 --> 00:27:41,879 Speaker 3: sing along with, and you. 565 00:27:41,880 --> 00:27:43,879 Speaker 2: Can definitely see how this heightens the whole experience. 566 00:27:44,160 --> 00:27:46,520 Speaker 1: Yeah, she was basically scoring the action of the game 567 00:27:46,640 --> 00:27:48,800 Speaker 1: like you would a film, which you know was kind 568 00:27:48,800 --> 00:27:51,800 Speaker 1: of a full circle moment for organists because that's exactly 569 00:27:52,000 --> 00:27:55,040 Speaker 1: what they'd done during the silent film era. Right. Nancy's 570 00:27:55,080 --> 00:27:57,080 Speaker 1: knack for knowing what to play and when to play 571 00:27:57,080 --> 00:27:59,920 Speaker 1: it like it really made her this living legend among 572 00:28:00,080 --> 00:28:03,000 Speaker 1: baseball fans. Her talents were so renowned that other teams 573 00:28:03,000 --> 00:28:06,399 Speaker 1: started sending their organists to Kamiski Park just to watch 574 00:28:06,400 --> 00:28:10,040 Speaker 1: her in action, and pretty soon her soundtrack approach to 575 00:28:10,160 --> 00:28:13,040 Speaker 1: organ playing became the standard of her trade. But allpark 576 00:28:13,160 --> 00:28:15,160 Speaker 1: organ music has definitely had its up and downs over 577 00:28:15,160 --> 00:28:18,399 Speaker 1: the years. In the nineteen eighties and nineties, some teams 578 00:28:18,520 --> 00:28:21,320 Speaker 1: moved to new stadiums and they didn't bring their organs 579 00:28:21,359 --> 00:28:24,119 Speaker 1: with them. Others had their organists retire and then just 580 00:28:24,160 --> 00:28:27,320 Speaker 1: didn't hire new ones. But even during that downturn, organ 581 00:28:27,400 --> 00:28:30,520 Speaker 1: music didn't fade from the stadiums completely. As you know, 582 00:28:30,560 --> 00:28:33,439 Speaker 1: teams would play pre recorded tracks over the loudspeakers to 583 00:28:33,920 --> 00:28:36,560 Speaker 1: add just a touch and nostalgia to the games. But 584 00:28:37,080 --> 00:28:39,760 Speaker 1: that last tactic worked a little too well, and the 585 00:28:39,840 --> 00:28:41,800 Speaker 1: can music made a lot of people pined for the 586 00:28:41,840 --> 00:28:44,560 Speaker 1: old days of hearing live organ music at a ballgame, 587 00:28:44,720 --> 00:28:46,960 Speaker 1: and all that feedback actually led to a full on 588 00:28:47,000 --> 00:28:50,120 Speaker 1: resurgence in the twenty tens, so teams started hiring back 589 00:28:50,160 --> 00:28:53,480 Speaker 1: their organists, and as of twenty twenty four, more than 590 00:28:53,560 --> 00:28:56,080 Speaker 1: half of the thirty teams in the MLB now employ 591 00:28:56,200 --> 00:29:00,120 Speaker 1: an organist. In many cases, the organist is now pair 592 00:29:00,240 --> 00:29:03,960 Speaker 1: with a DJ who spins more contemporary tracks between the classics, 593 00:29:04,000 --> 00:29:07,160 Speaker 1: and because of that compromise, the organ's future in American 594 00:29:07,200 --> 00:29:10,000 Speaker 1: baseball is actually looking brighter than it has been in decades. 595 00:29:10,240 --> 00:29:12,920 Speaker 3: Contemporary hits and the organist I started thinking about the 596 00:29:13,040 --> 00:29:15,280 Speaker 3: SNL sketch with Will Ferrell, and I think it was 597 00:29:15,280 --> 00:29:18,280 Speaker 3: on a guest tire doing the they were the music 598 00:29:18,320 --> 00:29:22,080 Speaker 3: teachers and singing the modern hits. But I do have 599 00:29:22,120 --> 00:29:24,360 Speaker 3: to say I was not expecting such a rosy outlook 600 00:29:24,400 --> 00:29:26,560 Speaker 3: on the state of ballpark organ music in the year 601 00:29:26,640 --> 00:29:27,600 Speaker 3: twenty twenty five. 602 00:29:27,680 --> 00:29:28,960 Speaker 2: But I'm happy about it. 603 00:29:29,200 --> 00:29:31,600 Speaker 1: Yeah, me too, And I think that's the perfect note 604 00:29:31,640 --> 00:29:33,920 Speaker 1: to go out on. But before we hit the showers 605 00:29:33,960 --> 00:29:35,760 Speaker 1: and call it a day, I think we should take 606 00:29:35,800 --> 00:29:37,720 Speaker 1: a few swings at the fact off. 607 00:29:42,920 --> 00:29:45,400 Speaker 3: So it's still early in the twenty twenty five season 608 00:29:45,480 --> 00:29:48,160 Speaker 3: so far, but there's already a breakout start taking the 609 00:29:48,240 --> 00:29:49,440 Speaker 3: sport by storm. 610 00:29:49,560 --> 00:29:49,720 Speaker 1: Now. 611 00:29:49,760 --> 00:29:51,680 Speaker 3: It isn't a player, though, but a new piece of 612 00:29:51,720 --> 00:29:55,520 Speaker 3: equipment called a torpedo bat. Now, unlike a traditional bat, 613 00:29:55,560 --> 00:29:57,400 Speaker 3: this one is wider in the middle than it is 614 00:29:57,440 --> 00:29:59,920 Speaker 3: at the top, and that change in shape means there's 615 00:30:00,120 --> 00:30:03,120 Speaker 3: more mass concentrated in the sweet spot of the barrel, 616 00:30:03,200 --> 00:30:05,880 Speaker 3: right where the player makes the most contact with the ball. 617 00:30:06,400 --> 00:30:09,120 Speaker 3: This not only provides much greater impact when the ball 618 00:30:09,160 --> 00:30:11,840 Speaker 3: and the bat collide, it also makes the bats swing 619 00:30:12,000 --> 00:30:14,960 Speaker 3: faster because the weight of the wood is distributed more 620 00:30:15,000 --> 00:30:18,680 Speaker 3: evenly instead of being clustered mostly at the top. So far, 621 00:30:18,720 --> 00:30:22,200 Speaker 3: the New York Yankees have demonstrated these advantages to great effect, 622 00:30:22,400 --> 00:30:25,000 Speaker 3: racking up nine home runs with a torpedo bat in 623 00:30:25,040 --> 00:30:27,720 Speaker 3: their first three games alone. We'll have to wait and 624 00:30:27,720 --> 00:30:29,840 Speaker 3: see how many other teams adopt the new style of 625 00:30:29,880 --> 00:30:32,160 Speaker 3: bat over the rest of the season, but given the 626 00:30:32,200 --> 00:30:35,040 Speaker 3: results so far, I imagine just about all of them will 627 00:30:35,080 --> 00:30:37,080 Speaker 3: at least take it for a test swing. 628 00:30:37,480 --> 00:30:40,320 Speaker 1: Okay, so, another baseball innovator who doesn't get enough credit 629 00:30:40,400 --> 00:30:44,400 Speaker 1: is Harvard athlete James Ting, and in April of eighteen 630 00:30:44,440 --> 00:30:47,440 Speaker 1: seventy seven, he became the first known baseball player to 631 00:30:47,520 --> 00:30:51,080 Speaker 1: don a catcher's mask during a game. Wow Prior to that, 632 00:30:51,120 --> 00:30:54,000 Speaker 1: the only gear a catcher used was a rubber mouthguard 633 00:30:54,040 --> 00:30:56,880 Speaker 1: similar to that of a boxer, but there was no mask, 634 00:30:57,040 --> 00:30:59,160 Speaker 1: no chess guard, no shin guards. 635 00:30:58,760 --> 00:31:01,040 Speaker 2: Not even a blow was terrifying. 636 00:31:01,880 --> 00:31:06,440 Speaker 1: Reckless approach led to frequent injuries, and as a result, 637 00:31:06,520 --> 00:31:08,480 Speaker 1: the career of the average catcher in the early days 638 00:31:08,480 --> 00:31:11,880 Speaker 1: of baseball was only three or four seasons. But that 639 00:31:11,920 --> 00:31:15,320 Speaker 1: finally changed thanks to Ting's new headgear, which was actually 640 00:31:15,320 --> 00:31:18,400 Speaker 1: designed for him by the Harvard team captain, a guy 641 00:31:18,480 --> 00:31:22,000 Speaker 1: named Frederick Thayer. It was made from a modified fencing mask, 642 00:31:22,200 --> 00:31:24,480 Speaker 1: which was meant to keep ting closer to the plate 643 00:31:24,560 --> 00:31:27,200 Speaker 1: without fear of being injured by either the bat or 644 00:31:27,240 --> 00:31:30,520 Speaker 1: a ball. Despite the obvious benefits, other catchers were initially 645 00:31:30,560 --> 00:31:34,040 Speaker 1: hesitant to adopt the mask because most players and fans 646 00:31:34,120 --> 00:31:38,000 Speaker 1: considered it unmanly to wear protective gear. But in the end, 647 00:31:38,120 --> 00:31:40,960 Speaker 1: keeping their faces intact proved more enticing than appeasing to 648 00:31:41,560 --> 00:31:45,120 Speaker 1: a few angry fans. By the late eighteen eighties, the 649 00:31:45,440 --> 00:31:48,360 Speaker 1: catcher's mask had become a fundamental piece of sports equipment, 650 00:31:48,400 --> 00:31:51,160 Speaker 1: and baseball catchers have been all the more handsome for 651 00:31:51,200 --> 00:31:52,040 Speaker 1: it ever since. 652 00:31:52,680 --> 00:31:55,200 Speaker 3: Well, something I never knew until this week is that 653 00:31:55,240 --> 00:31:58,400 Speaker 3: the silent film star Buster Keaton was actually a lifelong 654 00:31:58,440 --> 00:32:00,960 Speaker 3: baseball fan and a pretty good play or two. But 655 00:32:01,040 --> 00:32:02,760 Speaker 3: sometimes his love of the game got in the way 656 00:32:02,800 --> 00:32:05,600 Speaker 3: of his actual job, which was, of course making movies. 657 00:32:06,080 --> 00:32:06,240 Speaker 2: Now. 658 00:32:06,240 --> 00:32:08,719 Speaker 3: For instance, whenever one of his productions hit a snag 659 00:32:08,760 --> 00:32:12,080 Speaker 3: on set, Keaton would stop filming and he'd organize this 660 00:32:12,160 --> 00:32:15,200 Speaker 3: impromptu baseball game with the crew until someone came up 661 00:32:15,240 --> 00:32:17,880 Speaker 3: with a solution. And while filming at MGM in the 662 00:32:17,920 --> 00:32:20,720 Speaker 3: late nineteen twenties, Keaton would often put a game together 663 00:32:20,760 --> 00:32:23,240 Speaker 3: at the end of every lunch break, usually taking half 664 00:32:23,280 --> 00:32:26,200 Speaker 3: the crew with him. Now, in light of these frequent setbacks, 665 00:32:26,320 --> 00:32:29,920 Speaker 3: studio exec Lewis B. Mayer reportedly considered adding a no 666 00:32:30,120 --> 00:32:33,880 Speaker 3: baseball clause to the actor's next contract. But luckily for Keaton, 667 00:32:33,880 --> 00:32:35,200 Speaker 3: he turned out to be bluffing. 668 00:32:35,560 --> 00:32:38,240 Speaker 1: So he covered some major baseball milestones today. But here's 669 00:32:38,240 --> 00:32:40,800 Speaker 1: a quick one. I forgot to mention the first known 670 00:32:40,840 --> 00:32:43,320 Speaker 1: reference to the game being played in the United States, 671 00:32:43,360 --> 00:32:46,160 Speaker 1: and this dates all the way back to seventeen ninety one. 672 00:32:46,520 --> 00:32:48,000 Speaker 1: And the funny part is that it doesn't come from 673 00:32:48,040 --> 00:32:50,160 Speaker 1: an article about the sport, or an ad for an 674 00:32:50,240 --> 00:32:53,800 Speaker 1: upcoming game or anything like that. Instead, the reference appears 675 00:32:53,840 --> 00:32:57,920 Speaker 1: in a vintage by law from Pittsfield, Massachusetts, which banned 676 00:32:57,960 --> 00:33:01,640 Speaker 1: people from playing baseball within eighty yards of the town Meetinghouse. 677 00:33:02,000 --> 00:33:04,760 Speaker 1: Apparently they were worried that a fly ball might break 678 00:33:04,800 --> 00:33:06,480 Speaker 1: the building's new windows. 679 00:33:07,720 --> 00:33:10,560 Speaker 3: Okay, this next one provides a little vindication for all 680 00:33:10,560 --> 00:33:12,400 Speaker 3: of the Katie Caseys of the world who like to 681 00:33:12,600 --> 00:33:15,480 Speaker 3: argue with the umpire, because, according to a twenty twenty 682 00:33:15,480 --> 00:33:18,320 Speaker 3: four study from the University of Quebec. Yelling at the 683 00:33:18,360 --> 00:33:21,360 Speaker 3: ref does get results, and I hate to admit this 684 00:33:21,400 --> 00:33:23,760 Speaker 3: because I hate watching people yell at the refs. The 685 00:33:23,800 --> 00:33:26,920 Speaker 3: team analyzed data from ten years of Major League Baseball 686 00:33:26,960 --> 00:33:31,200 Speaker 3: games and found that after being verbally criticized quote, homeplate 687 00:33:31,320 --> 00:33:34,200 Speaker 3: umpires were less likely to call strikes to batters from 688 00:33:34,200 --> 00:33:37,160 Speaker 3: the complaining team and more prone to call strikes to 689 00:33:37,280 --> 00:33:40,200 Speaker 3: batters on the opposing team. So while berating the umpire 690 00:33:40,240 --> 00:33:42,800 Speaker 3: won't score you any points for decorum, it might just 691 00:33:42,880 --> 00:33:46,160 Speaker 3: help your team win the game, which is really depressing. 692 00:33:45,840 --> 00:33:47,920 Speaker 1: I know, and it's going to shape how long going 693 00:33:47,960 --> 00:33:50,080 Speaker 1: to be as a parent on the field for all 694 00:33:50,080 --> 00:33:51,000 Speaker 1: my kids soccer. 695 00:33:51,000 --> 00:33:52,880 Speaker 2: Right, scream your head off. 696 00:33:53,720 --> 00:33:55,560 Speaker 1: Well, here's a very quick one to end this, and 697 00:33:55,600 --> 00:33:57,920 Speaker 1: I think it's super fun. So I think we both 698 00:33:57,960 --> 00:34:00,280 Speaker 1: know what a ground roll double is in baseball, where 699 00:34:00,320 --> 00:34:02,240 Speaker 1: a ball is hit and then bounces out of play. 700 00:34:02,560 --> 00:34:04,880 Speaker 1: So most often the ball will get hit and then 701 00:34:04,920 --> 00:34:07,480 Speaker 1: bounce on the ground over the fence, or sometimes it 702 00:34:07,560 --> 00:34:09,880 Speaker 1: rolls under a scoreboard or something and the player at 703 00:34:09,920 --> 00:34:12,240 Speaker 1: bat gets an automatic double or it gets to advance 704 00:34:12,280 --> 00:34:14,680 Speaker 1: to second base. But do you know There's something called 705 00:34:14,719 --> 00:34:18,759 Speaker 1: a ground roll triple according to never heard of this. 706 00:34:19,280 --> 00:34:21,640 Speaker 1: According to MLB dot com, this occurs when a player 707 00:34:21,640 --> 00:34:23,680 Speaker 1: attempts to use his hat to stop a ball on 708 00:34:23,680 --> 00:34:24,160 Speaker 1: the ground. 709 00:34:24,160 --> 00:34:25,280 Speaker 2: Were they okay? 710 00:34:25,719 --> 00:34:28,080 Speaker 1: Using a hat is a penalty of three bases to 711 00:34:28,120 --> 00:34:30,560 Speaker 1: both the batter and any runner on base, which is 712 00:34:30,719 --> 00:34:33,279 Speaker 1: just so crazy. I just assumed that you could, like 713 00:34:33,400 --> 00:34:36,279 Speaker 1: Willie May's basket, catch a fly ball with your hat, 714 00:34:36,320 --> 00:34:39,280 Speaker 1: But apparently if you do, that's an automatic three basis 715 00:34:39,320 --> 00:34:40,280 Speaker 1: for anyone on the field. 716 00:34:40,320 --> 00:34:42,239 Speaker 2: I did not know that rule. I'd never heard of that. 717 00:34:42,800 --> 00:34:44,799 Speaker 3: All right, Well, I think this fact off is basically 718 00:34:44,840 --> 00:34:47,600 Speaker 3: a tie. But between the baseball mud facts and the 719 00:34:47,640 --> 00:34:50,080 Speaker 3: ones about taking me onto the ball game, I think 720 00:34:50,120 --> 00:34:51,640 Speaker 3: I'm going to give this one to you, Mango. 721 00:34:53,120 --> 00:34:55,759 Speaker 1: Well, I will take it. There is so much great 722 00:34:55,800 --> 00:34:59,040 Speaker 1: baseball trivia we didn't get to, from the blind adaptation 723 00:34:59,120 --> 00:35:01,600 Speaker 1: of baseball called deep ball, to the minor league player 724 00:35:01,680 --> 00:35:04,839 Speaker 1: who was once traded for twenty baseball bats, the time 725 00:35:04,960 --> 00:35:07,480 Speaker 1: two Yankee players announced in a press conference that they 726 00:35:07,520 --> 00:35:10,440 Speaker 1: were dissolving their marriage so that they could switch wives. 727 00:35:10,840 --> 00:35:13,239 Speaker 1: There is a lot of craziness that we've missed, and 728 00:35:13,320 --> 00:35:15,080 Speaker 1: we'll have to do another episode down the line, but 729 00:35:15,120 --> 00:35:17,120 Speaker 1: for now, that's going to do it for today's Part 730 00:35:17,160 --> 00:35:20,879 Speaker 1: Time Genius from Mary Gabe, Dylan, Will and myself. Thank 731 00:35:20,920 --> 00:35:23,080 Speaker 1: you so much for listening. Be sure to send us 732 00:35:23,080 --> 00:35:26,080 Speaker 1: your favorite baseball facts on TikTok and Instagram and we'll 733 00:35:26,120 --> 00:35:40,080 Speaker 1: be back in your feed soon with another new episode. 734 00:35:41,000 --> 00:35:44,320 Speaker 1: Part Time Genius is a production of Kaleidoscope and iHeartRadio. 735 00:35:44,800 --> 00:35:48,800 Speaker 1: This show is hosted by Will Pearson and me Mongaishatikler 736 00:35:49,200 --> 00:35:53,160 Speaker 1: and research by our good pal Mary Philip Sandy. Today's 737 00:35:53,200 --> 00:35:56,560 Speaker 1: episode was engineered and produced by the wonderful Dylan Fagan 738 00:35:56,640 --> 00:36:00,360 Speaker 1: with support from Tyler Klang. The show is executive for 739 00:36:00,400 --> 00:36:04,080 Speaker 1: iHeart by Katrina Norvel and Ali Perry, with social media 740 00:36:04,080 --> 00:36:08,200 Speaker 1: support from Sasha Gay, trustee Dara Potts and Viny Shorey. 741 00:36:08,880 --> 00:36:13,360 Speaker 1: For more podcasts from Kaleidoscope and iHeartRadio, visit the iHeartRadio app, 742 00:36:13,560 --> 00:36:27,080 Speaker 1: Apple Podcasts, or wherever you listen to your favorite shows.