Baseball 101: Things we don't see anymore

On Opening Day 100 years ago, baseball fans followed the action through a 1925 version of the internet: the evening newspaper. The Brooklyn Daily Eagle published a headline across page one that read, “ROBINS LEAD — GIANTS TRAIL — YANKEES TIED.”

Yes, the paper printed up-to-the-minute reports of games in progress for the commuter crowd (although the crowd would have to wait until the next day’s papers for an update). That morning’s New York Daily News offered a preview of the 3:30 p.m. game at Yankee Stadium, mentioning the anticipated presence of three brass bands and the absence of one notable slugger.

“G. Herman Ruth, fretfully blanketed at St. Vincent’s Hospital, miles and miles from the Bronx, will hear none of the cheers, none of the unfettered emotions voicing themselves. Ruth won’t play,” Marshall Hunt wrote, referring to the city’s most famous case of influenza.

A day later, the News reported on the opening festivities with, among other pieces, a column by Paul Gallico “interviewing” the lone surviving hot dog at a concession stand. “I’ll bet there’s something you never knew,” the frankfurter said. “Yes sir; smear plenty of mustard over one of us and we never feel it a bit.”

As you can tell, we don’t see Opening Days like that anymore. For one thing, the Robins are now the Dodgers and they certainly aren’t being covered in the Brooklyn Daily Eagle, which no longer exists. Truth is, baseball observers don’t see a lot of things people saw 100, 50 or 10 years ago, or even last year at this time. The world keeps changing and so does the game — for better, worse or neither.

The story of the sport is told as much by what is gone as by what has remained.

Which brings us to this year’s edition of Baseball 101. It is Newsday’s annual seminar on the game through one particular lens, using 101 examples. In the past, we have featured 101 debuts, 101 pitching gems, 101 places, 101 colors, 101 notable replacements, 101 duos. This year, the subject is 101 things you don’t see anymore.

Considering some of those missing items, you can say that the best of times are here now. The public is pleased to no longer see an industry that was closed to certain races and cultures, was not privy to modern medicine, didn’t have multiple postseason races, didn’t reach far beyond a corner of the nation and was not televised in high definition.

On the other hand, to borrow an old baseball phrase, not all absences are addition by subtraction. It is easy to understand why fans — a term once commonly used before somehow being replaced by “the fan base” — miss seeing quick games, durable starting pitching, ballparks with humane noise levels and ballplayers defined by their skills and personalities rather than their arcane statistics.

Even aficionados, who loved the game before and still love it, say they wish the sport had left some parts the way they were.

“The All-Star Game was an opportunity for fans to cheer their heroes,” said Marty Appel, bestselling baseball author and former public relations director for the Yankees.

It was a chance to acknowledge popular stars for their careers and watch them play for a few innings, he said, adding that it has become a series of cameos involving anyone who has had a solid first six or seven weeks. “They’ve bent over backward to drain the luster out of it.”

At least Major League Baseball has corrected the most glaring flaw as it has chosen to ditch the widely criticized “league uniforms” and will allow All-Stars to again wear their own teams’ outfits. Sometimes, progress means going in reverse.

Who knows what the future will look like? In 50 or 100 years, will people reminisce about the days when there were American and National Leagues? If schools have stopped teaching cursive script, will there still be autographs? Maybe there will be many memories that won’t register at all. They might simply make people shrug and say, in the words of the late great Rickey Henderson, “Let bye-byes be bye-byes.”

101 things you don't see anymore in baseball

1. SEGREGATION. This is No. 1 on the “What took you so long?” chart. Not until 1947, after World War II, did anyone have the nerve to break the “whites only” racial barrier. Jackie Robinson’s debut with Brooklyn and Larry Doby’s subsequent debut with Cleveland resoundingly impacted baseball, and American society. In 2024, Baseball commissioner Rob Manfred incorporated statistics from Negro Leagues (1920-48) into the official record.

2. SUNDAY DOUBLEHEADERS

3. 154-GAME SEASON

4. THE ALL-STAR GAME as the nation’s popular Midsummer Classic. TV ratings suggest it has become a niche event for diehards.

5. ST. LOUIS as the westernmost city.

6. WASHINGTON as the southernmost city.

7. VIN SCULLY, voice of the Dodgers and baseball's golden storyteller.

8. FULL ROSTER of clean-shaven Yankees.

9. “BASEBALL IS THE SPORT WITHOUT A CLOCK." Pitch clock has streamlined games, pleased fans.

10. WHITE UNIFORMS at home, gray on the road, period.

11. BAGGY FLANNEL uniforms.

12. "GAME OF THE WEEK." The nationally televised game on Saturday afternoon. It made that event special and was an exciting custom, but …

13. HAVING TO WAIT to wait six days to see another big-league game. Outside of cities with franchises, you could watch very little major-league action — unlike now, when every game is available everywhere on some platform.

14. BATTING AVERAGES listed in the Sunday paper. Neat way to follow all the big-leaguers and see how they compare. Another quaint custom, but …

15. VERY LITTLE ACCESS to statistics during the week. No websites, no social media, no internet. Only the daily boxscores.

16. “HIT SIGN, WIN SUIT.” Offer extended on right-centerfield wall at Ebbets Field. It was part of an ad by clothier Abe Stark. A free suit was awarded to any batter who hit the 4-foot tall sign on the fly. Few batters did it.

17. TIME OUT for a pitcher to put on his jacket while on the basepaths.

18. PITCHERS BATTING. We remember when Atlanta's Tony Cloninger blasted two grand slams in a game against the Giants at Candlestick Park on July 3, 1966.

19. PLAYERS LEAVING their gloves on the field, near their positions, when their team came to bat. A practice outlawed in 1954 by MLB rule 3.10.

20. ABSENCE OF PLAYERS from Japan. There were none before Masanori Murakami pitched for the Giants in 1964.

21. TWO TEAMS in Philadelphia (Phillies and Athletics); Boston (Red Sox and Braves); St. Louis (Cardinals and Browns), three in New York (Yankees, Giants and Dodgers). Now the only cities with two are New York, Chicago and Los Angeles (sort of).

22. BUNTING. Not the sacrifice kind, although that is not as prevalent as it used to be. More rare are the semicircular red-white-blue banners that used to be draped over for Opening Day and the World Series. Those were called bunting.

23. RHEINGOLD and BALLANTINE commercials. Erstwhile beer sponsors of the Mets and Yankees, respectively.

24. FANS WEARING SUIT jackets and ties at ballgames.

25. MANAGER WEARING JACKET and tie in dugout. Fashion went out with Connie Mack.

26. THE MONTREAL EXPOS. We miss those red, white and blue caps.

27. CAREER 1.000 BATTING AVERAGE. Astros’ John Paciorek went 3-for-3 in his debut (vs. the Mets) on the last day of the 1963 season but never made it back to the big leagues.

28. RICKEY, with an “e.” Branch Rickey, the Dodgers executive who brought Jackie Robinson to the majors, and Rickey Henderson, the all-time stolen base king and irreplaceable personality.

29. “NO BETTING” signs. Used to be one in centerfield at the original Yankee Stadium. Now, gambling sites are big major-league sponsors.

30. INFIELD PRACTICE. Teams routinely took grounders shortly before the first pitch of a game.

31. PEPPER GAMES. Reflex drills in which one player hits batted balls to several teammates standing only a few feet away. Led to “No Pepper Games” signs at many ballparks.

32. ORGAN MUSIC as the major ballpark sound. Eddie Layton played at Yankee Stadium for nearly 40 years.

33. MICKEY MANTLE and WILLIE MAYS.

34. THE RESERVE CLAUSE. Part of the standard contract that bound a player to his team for as long as the team wanted. It was struck down in 1975 following legal challenges by Andy Messersmith and Dave McNally, leading to free agency. That, in turn, led to more income for players and more ways for teams to improve their rosters.

35. TORN ULNAR COLLATERAL LIGAMENT in the elbow as a career-ending injury. Now, Tommy John surgery allows pitchers to return and, in many cases, perform as well as they ever did. The Yankees are hoping Gerrit Cole can make a successful comeback from his procedure of two weeks ago.

36. HIDDEN BALL TRICK. Went out of style when Gene Michael retired.

37. HALL OF FAME GAME. From 1940 through 2008, Cooperstown hosted a midsummer exhibition game between two major-league teams.

38. MAYOR'S TROPHY GAME. Before interleague regular-season play, the Yankees faced either the New York Giants or Brooklyn Dodgers and later the Mets in an annual midsummer charity game.

39. TEAM CLUBHOUSES beyond the centerfield fence, like the ones at the Polo Grounds.

40. BEST-OF-NINE World Series. When it started in 1903 it was a best-of-nine series. It switched to a seven-game set in 1905, then was a nine-game series from 1919-21. But it's been best of seven ever since.

41. STIRRUP SOCKS

42. ANYONE WEARING NO. 42. Retired throughout the majors to honor Jackie Robinson (done in 1997 with exceptions for players such as Mariano Rivera who were wearing it at the time)

43. ROBERTO CLEMENTE’S altruism

44. HENRY AARON'S class. Stoic amid flak surrounding his chase of Babe Ruth’s home run record, gracious as Barry Bonds controversially broke Aaron’s record.

45. THE SHIFT. As of 2023, the defensive team must have two infielders on each side of second base.

46. SHORTS. Briefly part of White Sox uniforms in 1976.

47. A HOME RUN IN SHORTS. Jack Brohamer did it for the White Sox in a game Aug. 21, 1976, and baseball history says he is the only player to homer while wearing shorts.

48. MANAGER PAUSING A VEHEMENT ARGUMENT with umpires, listening to “God Bless America,” then resuming the spat. Jim Leyland during seventh-inning stretch at Yankee Stadium.

49. “ANALYTICAL” meant using human insight and judgment. Now, “analytics” means just the opposite, it’s hard data.

50. LADIES DAY. Women got in for reduced price or for free.

51. THE SWING of Ken Griffey Jr.

52. HOUSTON ASTRODOME. Still standing, but unused since 2009. And we always note that Mickey Mantle hit the first home run there, in an exhibition game April 9, 1965.

53. KINER'S KORNER. Mets interview show hosted by broadcaster Ralph Kiner.

54. THE HAPPY RECAP. Broadcaster Bob Murphy’s summary of a Mets win.

55. "THIS WEEK IN BASEBALL." Baseball highlights show originally hosted by broadcaster Mel Allen.

56. “THUUUUUUU YANKEES WIN!” Happy retirement, John Sterling.

57. BOB SHEPPARD. The “Voice of God” on Yankee Stadium’s public address system.

58. LACK OF MANAGEMENT POSITIONS for Latinos. Hello, Carlos Mendoza, Alex Cora, Dave Martinez and many others in dugouts and front offices.

59. CHALLENGE THE YANKEES. 1960s board game with a box featuring full color picture of Yankee Stadium.

60 .400 BATTING AVERAGE. It's happened 13 times since 1901, but not since Ted Williams’ .401 in 1941.

61. A 30-GAME WINNER. Not once since Denny McLain notched 31 for the 1968 Tigers.

62. BEGINNING EXTRA INNINGS WITHOUT BASERUNNERS. The ghost runner enters in the 10th.

63. YOGI-ISMS. You could look them up.

64. STENGELESE. "Good pitching will always stop good hitting, and vice-versa."

65. “HOLY COW” Favorite interjection of Phil Rizzuto, Harry Caray and Earl Gillespie. Some research found that the phrase was used by players as early as 1913 and probably much earlier.

66. SHEA STADIUM'S “quirky charm” (Mike Piazza’s description).

67. TIE GAMES. Before ballparks had lights, teams just called it quits at dusk. The Cubs beat the Tigers in the 1907 World Series, 4-0-1.

68. FANS ALLOWED ON THE FIELD at original Yankee Stadium. They could visit the monuments postgame, then exit behind deep center.

69. BAT DAY. Bill Veeck has been credited with the idea. The very first giveaway of free baseball bats was June 15, 1952, at Sportsman’s Park in St. Louis, at a Sunday doubleheader between the St. Louis Browns and the Philadelphia Athletics.

70. SPRING TRAINING AT "DODGERTOWN" in Vero Beach, Florida. Team moved camp to Arizona in 2008.

71. WINTER JOBS for big-leaguers. Frank Robinson once said he nearly lost an eye when a piece of hot pipe hit him while he was working at a galvanizing plant.

72. TEENAGE UMPIRES. Three 19-year-olds worked in 1876, the National League’s inaugural season, according to the Society for American Baseball Research.

73. ROUND "COOKIE CUTTER" multi-purpose stadiums.

74. PHILADELPHIA A'S

75. KANSAS CITY A's

76. OAKLAND-BASED Oakland A’s. Now playing in Sacramento.

77. HARVEY THE RABBIT. Mechanical bunny that popped out of the ground to provide a fresh supply for baseballs to the home-plate umpire at A’s games in Kansas City and Oakland.

78. TV VIEWS of the game from above and behind the plate. Current centerfield camera shot shows much more.

79. TELECASTS IN BLACK AND WHITE.

80. LISTENING to games on transistor radio. How many times did we fall asleep with the radio under our pillows?

81. NUMEROUS TEAMS with .250-plus batting averages. Only six last year, down from 30 in 2005.

82. KNUCKLEBALL PITCHERS. Matt Waldron of the Padres was the only full-timer in 2024. Phil Niekro won 318 games throwing it.

83. WOMEN REPORTERS barred from clubhouses. Now, Claire Smith is in the Hall of Fame.

84. COMPLETE GAMES. In all of MLB last season, there were 28, the same number Bob Gibson threw in 1968 and again in 1969.

85. BATTERS NOT WEARING HELMETS. Some form of protective headgear was first required in 1958. Protective liners inside cloth caps were allowed.

86. AMERICAN LEAGUE UMPIRES wearing balloon-type chest protectors, National League umpires wearing inside-the-jacket chest protectors.

87. DAY GAMES in the World Series. Not since a one-game reprise in 1987.

88. HOME-TEAM ANNOUNCERS on World Series telecasts. At least ESPN will use Joe Girardi (YES Network) and Bill Schroeder (Brewers analyst) on Yankees-Brewers Opening Day.

89. BUBBLE GUM in Topps baseball card wax packs. Added bonus: the cards smelled like the gum.

90. 1962 METS reputation as the worst team ever. Meet the 2024 White Sox (41-121).

91. TRUE "PENNANT RACES." Before division titles and wild cards, you either won your league or went home.

92. WEEKS OF MEANINGLESS GAMES. The 1941 Yankees clinched the pennant on Sept. 4. No team finished within 16 games of them.

93. “THE CURSE OF THE BAMBINO.” Red Sox have won four championships this century.

94. HIGH-PROFILE TWO-SPORT PROS. No more Bo Jackson, Deion Sanders, Dave DeBusschere, Gene Conley.

95. 10-MAN PITCHING STAFFS. 13 is the new magic number, what with teams often using four pitchers a night. In contrast, the Mets carried 10 pitchers on the 1969 World Series roster, four of whom (including Tug McGraw) never got into a game.

96, MATINEES-ONLY AT WRIGLEY FIELD. No night games from the opening in 1914 until Aug. 9, 1988 (Cubs 6-4 win over the Mets).

97. ONE PLAYER with more home runs than any opposing team. Babe Ruth hit 60 in 1927. The Philadelphia A’s had the second most of any American League club, with 56.

98. LEGAL SPITBALLS. Foreign substances on the baseball were banned in 1920, but 17 pitchers were “grandfathered in” and allowed to throw spitters until they retired. Burleigh Grimes was the last to throw a legal spitball, in 1934 (four years before Gaylord Perry was born).

99. BULLPEN CARS giving relievers rides in from the bullpen. Yankees used a pinstriped Datsun (serenaded by “Pomp and Circumstance” when Sparky Lyle was the passenger). Mets had a golf cart topped with a huge facsimile baseball cap.

100. THE SIGN MAN at Shea Stadium. Karl Ehrhardt estimated he had 1,200 signs, and before he attended a game, he’d go through them and pull out bout 60 to take with him.

101. NICKNAMES. Long gone are the monikers that jumped off the page and rolled off the tongue: “Joltin' Joe” DiMaggio, “Blue Moon” Odom, “Catfish” Hunter, “Mudcat” Grant, “King Kong” Keller, “Pie” Traynor, Stan “The Man” Musial, Denton True “Cy” Young, “Mister October.” Perhaps our culture has lost its zest for fun or maybe sportswriters — who either originated or popularized nicknames in days gone by — have lost their influence or possibly agents are insisting that marketing isn’t driven by informality. In any case, the few nicknames that pop up now (“Polar Bear,” “Martian”) do not have national reach and probably won’t have the staying power that help us remember Bill “Spaceman” Lee, Mark “The Bird” Fidrych, “Cool Papa” Bell, “Satchel” Paige, “Pee Wee” Reese, Sal “The Barber” Maglie, “Choo Choo” Coleman, “Moose” Skowron, George "Shotgun" Shuba and Johnny “Hippity” Hopp.