The Joy of Needless Baseball Details – NYTimes.com
Posted by Sean Forman on October 3, 2011
The Joy of Needless Baseball Details - NYTimes.com.
Fun article by Mike Tanier using our uniform number logos on the site.
Posted by Sean Forman on October 3, 2011
The Joy of Needless Baseball Details - NYTimes.com.
Fun article by Mike Tanier using our uniform number logos on the site.
October 3rd, 2011 at 12:43 pm
It's a fun piece by Tanier. But even in jest, I don't care for the assertion that the level of detail is "oppressive" or is "not important to anyone on earth."
For me, part of the beauty of the baseball encyclopedias, from the first MacMillan right up through Baseball-Reference, is their completeness -- or at least, attempted completeness.
It's good to have a record of everything that happened, as near as possible. You never know what might be important later on, in some small way.
October 3rd, 2011 at 1:30 pm
@1
I think that's why the impressive/oppressive dichotomy is mentioned in that article. Taken out of context, Counsell's 44 lines of defensive stats could surely seem oppressive (at least to the right...er wrong person). In the context of the site/database as a whole, the completeness is certainly impressive.
Either way, it's pretty cool to see a B-R mention in the NYT.
October 3rd, 2011 at 1:31 pm
Maybe it is just me, but this article is the exact reason I can spend hours on baseball-reference if I don't pay enough attention to the time.
October 3rd, 2011 at 2:16 pm
So who has the most circles?! Why has nobody figured this out yet?! (Extra punctuation necessary!!) It can't just be guys who have played on a lot of teams, but guys who have played on a lot of teams, AND changed numbers, AND (possibly) been on a team for multiple seasons, during which time it changed jerseys!
October 3rd, 2011 at 2:22 pm
@4
Mike Morgan has 17 circles. I don't know if that is the most.
October 3rd, 2011 at 2:26 pm
Bobo Newsom has 20 circles.
October 3rd, 2011 at 2:34 pm
@6
Here's another piece of useless information. Bobo Newsom was the first player to wear 00 as a uniform number.
October 3rd, 2011 at 2:39 pm
Matt Stairs has 19. Can't find anyone with more than Newsom's 20.
October 3rd, 2011 at 3:33 pm
That is a great article. I'm definitely going to pay more attention to those uniform numbers now.
October 3rd, 2011 at 4:05 pm
I wonder how many different jerseys Matt Stairs would have if you counted every one he actually wore...so, including home/road/alternate variations.
October 3rd, 2011 at 4:21 pm
Is there any chance of stats from non MLB leagues ever being available in any similar fashion to this site?
Japan leagues I could see being available, maybe on some site they already are.
How about Mexican Leagues, Winter Ball Leagues, etc?
October 3rd, 2011 at 4:28 pm
Ken Brett has 16 to his brother's 2.
Russ Springer has 18, but couldn't find a team to help him continue the assault on Bobo in 2011.
October 3rd, 2011 at 5:05 pm
The Bretts combined for 18 uni numbers
Bells with 25 (all 3 were named David Bell at birth)
Waner's with 14
Alou's with 31
Alomar's with 30
Dimaggio's with 13 (I think Dom was the only player from this entire group of families with just one number)
Boone's with 29
Griffey's with 13
Niekro's with 25 including Lance (Niekro son) (Phil's 11 numbers were all 35)
Perry's with 20
I'm sure i missed other baseball families but these i thought of off the top of my head..
October 3rd, 2011 at 5:42 pm
Ruben Sierra also has 19.
October 3rd, 2011 at 5:46 pm
In addition what is the most circles with only one number worn? Rich Gossage wore 54 12 different times.
October 3rd, 2011 at 8:21 pm
As far as I can tell, the 5 longest tenured 1 circle guys are Carl Yastrzemski, Lou Whitaker, Ted Williams, Bill Russell and Derek Jeter
October 3rd, 2011 at 8:47 pm
@1 I read that whole article and Baseball Ref comes off looking very good as it should. Stats can be oppressive if allowed to substitute for independent thought. Athletic contests have probability, but are still slaves to chance, and can be greatly influenced through hard work and determination for which there will never be a statistical number attached. I agree with you that the more stats kept the better because at some time they may become valuble. If the Indians would have written some stuff down they might still own large swaths of America, that and being able to forge steel to make rifles and bullets.
October 3rd, 2011 at 9:59 pm
@17
Looking at Stan Musial's home page there are two circles with the same number 6. Can anyone supply an explanation? He played 22 seasons for the Cards.
October 3rd, 2011 at 10:07 pm
Different types of uniforms?
October 3rd, 2011 at 10:08 pm
Missed a stretch of playing time for WWII?
October 3rd, 2011 at 10:37 pm
I would love to see some sort of "tool" on B-R to be able to search for a specific jersey number.
Example: Who hit the most HR's while wearing number 1?
This is probably not possible, but it sure would be fun to see.
October 3rd, 2011 at 11:44 pm
I'd like to know if there are uni number sites for teams other than the Mets - mbtn.net - Cubs - cubsbythenumbers.com and Orioles - oriolesnumbers.com. Please list them here if you know of any.
October 3rd, 2011 at 11:59 pm
@19
Dressed to the Nines shows a slight change in the color of the Cardinals uniforms for the 1951 season. But Musial did wear only the number 6 for one team for his entire career of 22 seasons.
October 4th, 2011 at 5:38 am
This as a very enjoyable article. I'm such a baseball nerd that I do in fact look at the circles and try to guess what team they are from, some not being quite so obvious. And being a Detroit fan it was awesome to see the Tigers referenced in an article in a NY newspaper.
October 4th, 2011 at 8:53 am
@24 Timothy: There are lots of references to the Tigers in the NY media this week!
October 4th, 2011 at 9:01 am
I think I have a list of current active players who have only 1 circle for over a decade.
17 years: Jeter, Rivera
15 years: Todd Helton
11 years: Ichiro, Pujols, Brian Roberts, Michael Cuddyer, Carlos Zambrano
October 4th, 2011 at 10:45 am
AustynKC @3: Maybe it is just me, but this article is the exact reason I can spend hours on baseball-reference if I don't pay enough attention to the time.
Dude. It is so not just you.
From the article: Dan Johnson "has also picked up three circles for three uniform numbers in Tampa . . . [—] almost as many circles as doubles (four)."
This fact is not useless. I may not remember Dan Johnson at all if I don’t have this to hang my figurative hat on. As John notes in his post #1, "It's good to have a record of everything that happened, as near as possible. You never know what might be important later on, in some small way." By all means, compile the numbers, and let us stat freaks search them for patterns after the fact.
"If you have ever visited Baseball-Reference.com, you know that it is one of the greatest inventions of human history."
There you have it. Great lead, and the unvarnished truth.
October 4th, 2011 at 11:25 am
@23
In addition to Musial there are several players who wore one number for 20 or more years with the same team but have more than one circle due to uniform changes. These players include Tony Gwynn, Willie Stargell, Cal Ripken and Robin Yount.
October 4th, 2011 at 12:03 pm
The two players I've been able to find whose longest-worn uniform number equaled their career OPS+ are Fritz Peterson (19 OPS+), who wore 19 with the Yankees from 1967 to 1974 and with the Rangers in 1976, and Billy Pierce (also 19 OPS+), who wore 19 with the White Sox from 1951 to 1961.
Others who wore a uniform number equal to career OPS+ for more than a few games include Herm Wehmeier (#22 with the 1954-56 Phillies), Harry Gumbert (#19 with the 1942-44 Cardinals), Pat Malone (#18 with the 1933-34 Cubs), and Rube Walberg (#15 with the 1934-37 Red Sox).
Also, grab a look at Liván Hernández and Chan Ho Park's player pages. Don't you think all those colored-circle "61s" would make a great wallpaper pattern for a boy's room?
October 4th, 2011 at 12:19 pm
@29
Two more teams and Hernandez will match Gossage(@15).
October 4th, 2011 at 1:20 pm
Richard, I just thought it was pretty interesting that Hernández and Park both have worn the same unusual number, uninterruptedly, for so many teams. Why do both players like "61" so much? Why the strong attachment to what we think of as a spring-training number?
October 4th, 2011 at 3:53 pm
@31
I have no answer for your questions but I was wondering what would have happened if they both ended up on the same team at the same time.
October 4th, 2011 at 4:43 pm
I was wondering that too. Park pitched for the Mets in 2007, Hernández at the beginning of 2009. They have no other teams in common. Maybe one of them would settle for 62, or 16.
October 5th, 2011 at 2:55 pm
"the Internet equivalent of a statue by the main gate."
But enough about Jeter's fielding 😉
October 6th, 2011 at 4:42 pm
"I think I have a list of current active players who have only 1 circle for over a decade.
17 years: Jeter, Rivera
15 years: Todd Helton
11 years: Ichiro, Pujols, Brian Roberts, Michael Cuddyer, Carlos Zambrano"
In these current times where teams change uniform styles more frequently to generate the all important merchandise sale, this also speaks well for these player's organizations.