It’s rare for a single draft to clearly determine the long-term fortunes of a franchise. When that does happen, it’s generally because of a single great draft pick. What would the Royals have been without George Brett? The Mariners without Ken Griffey Jr. For gosh sakes, the Pirates without Barry Bonds. In 2009, the Cardinals drafted Shelby […]

Award-winning sportswriter Ring Lardner was one of the greatest humorists of the early twentieth century. Beat writer, columnist, essayist, and short-story writer as well as poet, playwright, music lyricist, and (briefly) comic-strip author, Lardner’s favorite subject was baseball. Pomrenke concludes his series by describing how Lardner used the game and its many colorful characters to […]

In this five-part series on the MLB draft, Rob Neyer begins in the 1970s with a profile of Peoria high school legend Danny Goodwin—the only player in baseball history to have been the first overall pick in two separate drafts. Goodwin’s professional performance—which failed to live up to the promise of his amateur career—highlights the […]

In part 7 of his series, Jacob Pomrenke explains how Tim Murnane left his mark on every aspect of nineteenth-century baseball. His early career as player, umpire, scout, and executive was followed by an influential second act as editor, publisher, and columnist. In 1978, his fellow baseball writers recognized Murnane’s lasting impact by selecting him […]

Part one of a series looking gambling’s influence on baseball. It’s impossible to understand the Black Sox scandal without taking into consideration the intimate relationship between baseball and gambling during that era. Fixing games, betting on games and bribery offers were common practices during baseball’s Deadball Era in the early 20th century — and these […]