Author Archives: Jason Turbow
Hayhurst Takes Notes in the Clubhouse, Gets Offended When People Take Exception To his Taking of Notes in the Clubhouse
So Dirk Hayhurst got hazed. In an interview with the Toronto Star, the former big league pitcher—and author of The Bullpen Gospels and Out of My League, which comes out later this month—expresses dismay at the reaction of some of … Continue reading
Mike Cameron: Code Over Glory
We got word Sunday that Mike Cameron was retiring after 17 seasons of largely productive baseball. He hit 278 home runs during that span, four of them in a single game (watch the glory here). A four-homer day is noteworthy … Continue reading
Let’s Get Things Started! Parent Casts Season’s First Stone
Talk about setting a tone. There’s a new order on the south side of Chicago, and one of those taking charge, White Sox bench coach Mark Parent, wasted little time in establishing the team’s tenor this season. “You hit our … Continue reading
Filed under Mark Parent, Retaliation
Yes, There’s a Chance that Tony La Russa, Baseball’s Resident Expert on Retaliation, May Soon Get Even More Verbose on the Topic
They say retirement softens people. It remains to be seen whether Tony La Russa might fall into this category, but in the short term, his newfound freedom seems to have loosened his lips. While managing the Cardinals last season, La … Continue reading
Filed under Retaliation, Tony La Russa
Matt Kemp Still a Winner in Mattingly’s Book
Don Mattingly talked Codes in Los Angelesthis week, suggesting to ESPN that Dodger outfielder Matt Kemp did not win the NL MVP Award at least in part due to an unwritten rule mandating that such players come from winning teams. It’s … Continue reading
Filed under Awards voting
Baseball’s Winter Meetings Have Nothing on This
Just because baseball’s not around, it doesn’t mean that the discussion of unwritten rules must similarly disappear. Hockey is still in season, and offers its own array of codes. I’m neither a hockey expert nor particularly inclined to document the … Continue reading
Filed under Hockey
We Must Be in the Front Row: Not First Time for Ticket Mixup at Busch
Between the name-calling and the occasional hit batter and the Beast Mode, this Brewers-Cardinals NLCS has not been short on tempestuous fun. Wednesday, however, things took a bit of a different turn. Whether it’s a bizarre form of institutional retaliation … Continue reading
Filed under Jeffrey Leonard, Jeffrey Leonard, Retaliation, Showing Players Up
Wordplay Taken to a Whole New Level
Last week I got an e-mail from Tyler Hinman, the five-time American Crossword Puzzle champion, who co-designed the crossword that was the basis of my Brian Wilson feature in the New York Times back in March. “If you haven’t done … Continue reading
Filed under Uncategorized
Joe Girardi Mostly Ignores Roster Games; Yankees Still Kick Red Sox in the Teeth
Prior to Wednesday’s game against Tampa Bay, Yankees manager Joe Girardi found himself in a terrifically sweet position. The Yankees had little to play for; they would finish with the American League’s best record regardless of the outcome. A loss, … Continue reading
Filed under Managers Play their Best Lineups
When Teams Meet to Beat the Heat
We’ve reached the point in the season at which good teams are looking toward the playoffs—and, to their horror, find themselves imagining some combination of absence or failure. Which is why managers have recently taken to the time-tested strategy of … Continue reading
Filed under Clubhouse meetings
