SPORTSMANSHIP - The Hug

"This hug is the definition of sportsmanship" PBS NewsHour 6/12/2018

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SUMMARY:  In our NewsHour Shares moment of the day, a Minnesota high school championship baseball game ended when a pitcher struck out his childhood friend.  Watch what happened next.

SPORTS - Technological Cheating

"Baseball teams have always stolen signs.  Here's what makes the Red Sox accusations different" PBS NewsHour 9/6/2017

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SUMMARY:  The Boston Red Sox are accused of using technology to record and decode the signals between New York Yankees' pitchers and catchers in order to use that information to their advantage in the middle of the game.  William Brangham is joined by journalist Joshua Prager to discuss the history of sign-stealing in baseball and whether this strategy clashes with the rules of the game.

SPORTS - The Voice of the Dodgers

"Vin Scully ends his 67-year career as voice of the Dodgers" PBS NewsHour 10/4/2016

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SUMMARY:  After 67 years in the broadcast booth as a sportscaster for the Dodgers, Vincent “Vin” Scully is retiring.  On Sunday, he called his last game in Los Angeles, but he has been with the team since it was in Brooklyn.  Jeffrey Brown spoke with the baseball legend in 2009 about why he prefers to be the sole commentator of a game and the thrill he gets from the crowd.

GWEN IFILL (NewsHour):  As the baseball playoffs get under way, one of the game's legendary figures, Vin Scully, is signing off; 88-year-old Scully called his last Los Angeles Dodgers game on Sunday.  That closed an incredible 67-year career that started back when the Dodgers called Brooklyn home.

Jeffrey Brown spent a day at the ballpark with Scully in 2009.

Here's an excerpt of that profile.

VIN SCULLY, Broadcaster, Los Angeles Dodgers:  It's time for Dodger baseball.

(CHEERING AND APPLAUSE)

JEFFREY BROWN (NewsHour):  It's a voice that generations of Dodger fans have grown up with, savored, loved.....

VIN SCULLY:  Ground ball to third, backhanded by Blake.  He straightens up to throw him out.  Easy inning for Randy Wolf.

JEFFREY BROWN:  ......In Los Angeles, but also, incredibly, going all the way back to Brooklyn in the 1950s.

VIN SCULLY:  The pitch at the right ankle of Andres Torres.  Ball one.

Now, admittedly, there are days where you think, you know, I'd rather sit under a tree and read a book than go to the ballpark.

JEFFREY BROWN:  Yes.  Everybody has those days, right?

VIN SCULLY:  But what's great is, you come to the park, you do the routine stuff, and then the crowd comes in, and the team takes the field, and the crowd roars.  And, all of a sudden, you're delighted as a kid in a candy store.

SPORTS - Baseball's New Rules

"With new rules aimed at speeding up the game, MLB hopes to strike a sweet spot" PBS NewsHour 3/12/2015

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SUMMARY:  The average length of a baseball game is three hours and two minutes, half an hour longer than in the 1980s, and officials are concerned the game is going on too long.  To speed up the sport, Major League Baseball is experimenting with new rules during spring training, including what happens in between innings and in the batter's box.  Hari Sreenivasan learns more from Mike Pesca of Slate's "The Gist."

JUDY WOODRUFF (NewsHour):  Baseball has always been, famously, a game played with few concerns about time and pacing.  With no time constraints to guide it, play goes on, until someone wins.  Well, spring training has begun and there are new rules this year intended to speed up the game.

Hari Sreenivasan has the story.

HARI SREENIVASAN (NewsHour):  Have you been to a baseball game any time in the past few years or even watched one on TV?  The average length is now three hours and two minutes.  That is about a half-hour longer than it was in the early ’80s.

And Major League Baseball is concerned about that.  With exhibition games under way in Arizona and Florida, the league is making some adjustments, including what happens between innings and in the batter’s box.

Mike Pesca joins us now.  He is the host of Slate’s daily news and discussion podcast “The Gist” and a contributor to NPR.

So, first of all, what are the changes that they’re trying to make?

MIKE PESCA, Slate’s “The Gist” podcast:  Well, one of them is just enforcing a rule that’s on the books.  The batter cannot step out of the batter’s box, always has to have a foot there.

And the reason is, if you watch a baseball game — and this is a recent trend — the batters adjust every piece of equipment, even when all they do is stand there and take a pitch.  Somehow, their batting gloves got loose during that.  And one of the things — it’s a few things.  It’s an affectation.  It’s a habit.  Sometimes, it’s trying to get in the head of the pitchers.

But here’s baseball saying, guys, stay in the batter’s box and get ready for the next pitch.  And another thing that they’re doing is, there’s not a clock during the game, but in between innings, it will be two minutes, 25 seconds, or in a nationally televised game, two minutes, 45 seconds between innings.  Things will be timed to that.

So, with 20 seconds remaining, they will start to announce that the batter is entering the box.  And then the pitcher will be ending his warmups before the inning starts.  So when you come back from commercial, the batter will be right there ready to receive the pitch, the pitcher will be ready to go.  This will speed things up a little, they hope.

SPORTS - American Baseball & Cuba

"Will American baseball get more Cuban imports?" PBS NewsHour 12/23/2014

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SUMMARY:  How will opening the door to normal relations with Cuba affect the world of professional baseball, a game that so many Cubans love?  Hari Sreenivasan speaks with Jim Litke of the Associated Press to understand the possible implications.

JUDY WOODRUFF (NewsHour):  Since President Obama announced the U.S. would normalize relations with Cuba, much of the discussion has naturally focused on human rights, freedom, democracy and commerce.

But opening the doors to normal relations with Cuba could also lead to some profound cultural changes, including in the world of sports, and particularly baseball, a game that so many Cubans love.

Hari Sreenivasan sat down with a baseball watcher to discuss the possibilities in our New York studios earlier this week.

HARI SREENIVASAN (NewsHour):  When people talk about traditional images of Cuba, one major cultural touchstone has been sports, specifically the country’s historical reservoir of baseball talent.

Baseball has long been the most popular sport on the island, and Cuban players have found their way into American baseball for more than 100 years.  Some have made a legendary name for themselves, like former Red Sox great Luis Tiant, a three-time All-Star pitcher.

Last year, there were 19 Cuban players on the rosters of Major League Baseball teams in the United States.  That’s a record.  And some estimates show more than 200 players defecting over time to play baseball in the U.S.

Cuban players have stood out in recent seasons, like Yasiel Puig, the slugger for the Los Angeles Dodgers who illegally crossed the border from Mexico to Texas in 2012, and Aroldis Chapman, an All-Star closer for the Cincinnati Reds.

Major League Baseball has long had an eye on tapping into more Cuban talent.  Now that the U.S. and Cuba are moving toward a different relationship, there are lots of questions about how it might impact the sport.

Jim Litke is the national sports correspondent for the Associated Press, joins me now.

OPINION - Shields and Brooks 9/26/2014

"Shields and Brooks on Islamic State as ‘ideal’ villains, retirement for Holder and Jeter" PBS NewsHour 9/26/2014

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SUMMARY:  Syndicated columnist Mark Shields and New York Times columnist David Brooks join Judy Woodruff to discuss the week’s news, including President Obama’s urging for united action against the Islamic State at the United Nations General Assembly, as well as the importance of debating U.S. action against the militants, the resignation of Attorney General Eric Holder, plus the “classy” career of Derek Jeter.

SPORTS - Derek Jeter's Final Game

"Jeter’s feel-good ending is ‘necessary tonic’ for sports fans" PBS NewsHour 9/26/2014

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JEFFREY BROWN (NewsHour):  It was the fairy tale ending to a career that’s brought universal acclaim and admiration.  On his last at bat on his home field at Yankee Stadium, Derek Jeter drove in the winning run against the Baltimore Orioles.

MAN:  With a walk-off single, Derek Jeter!

JEFFREY BROWN:  Jeter began his career in 1995 and has played 2,745 games, all as a Yankee.  He holds the sixth highest hit total in baseball history, won five World Series rings, and was selected as an All-Star 14 times, an incredible record that he discussed at the end of the game.

DEREK JETER, New York Yankees:  I would say a little prayer before every game.  And I basically just said thank you, because this is all I have ever wanted to do.  And not too many people get an opportunity to do it.  And it was above and beyond anything I have ever dreamt of.

JEFFREY BROWN:  Tributes to his clutch play have poured in throughout his final season.  Commercials like this one showed fans, rival players, and celebrities paying their respects.  Jeter’s final game will be on Sunday against the Red Sox in Boston.

Quite a night in New York, but also other kinds of continuing drama in the world of sports this week.

We’re joined by Christine Brennan, national sports columnist for USA Today and commentator for ABC News, and Mike Pesca, host of Slate’s daily news and discussion podcast The Gist.  He’s also a contributor to NPR.

Well, to Derek Jeter first.

Mike, it’s funny that he’s ending his career in Boston.  As a Red Sox fan, I know that he’s destroyed our hopes perhaps more than anyone.  And yet he’s respected there and everywhere.  Why?

MIKE PESCA, National Public Radio:  Yes, because, amidst the morass of immorality that sports is — oh, I was just unintentionally maybe poetic there — but Derek Jeter is just solid.  He just is reliable.

And, you know, he’s a little bit boring.  That was his advice to Gary Sheffield when he became a Yankee, be boring.  But he’s boring in kind of the great ways that fathers will nudge their sons, and say, look at this guy.  Look at how he runs it out on every play.  Look at how he inspires his teammates.

And, yes, the commercials have gotten a little bit crazy, and the hype about Jeter, just like everything with the Yankees and sports these days, has gone over the top.  But, fundamentally, there he is delivering a game-winning hit in the only game he has ever played in Yankee Stadium when the playoffs weren’t a possibility.

So the guy’s a winner and the guy does it the right way, and it’s a necessary tonic, given everything else we’re going to talk about.

OPINION - Shields and Brooks 4/4/2014

"Shields and Brooks on the power of campaign donors, baseball vs. baby" PBS NewsHour 4/4/2014

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SUMMARY:  Syndicated columnist Mark Shields and New York Times columnist David Brooks join Judy Woodruff to discuss the week’s news, including a Supreme Court ruling that lifts campaign donation limits, as well as public commentary for a pro-baseball player’s paternity leave.

MARK SHIELDS, syndicated columnist: (on Supreme Court decision) .....(according) to the chief justice, there is nothing more basic to our democracy than the right to participate in electing our political leaders.  And I wish they felt the same way about voting rights, which they didn’t, that somehow this giving — and that these people, these five majority justices must be hermetically sealed.

They are unaware of the fact that big money buys access in Washington, and access purchases influence.  It is as simple as that.  And they have basically given a green light, a further green light, after Citizens United, to the biggest money to have the bigger voice in our politics, and to sound out and drown out the voice of just ordinary citizens.

BOSTON - Red Sox Win the MLB World Series

"Boston Red Sox World Series win symbolizes turnaround for team and town" PBS Newshour 10/31/2013

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SUMMARY:  Just six months after bombings at the 2013 Boston Marathon ravaged Beantown, a World Series win gave the city something to celebrate.  The Red Sox defeated the St. Louis Cardinals in Game 6 of the MLB championship Wednesday.  Jeffrey Brown talks to Leigh Montville of SportsonEarth.com on the team's turnaround from worst to first.

SPORTS - American Baseball's 'Triple Crown'

"Detroit Tigers' Miguel Cabrera Wins Baseball's 'Triple Crown' for Batting" PBS Newshour 10/4/2012

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SUMMARY: Miguel Cabrera, pro baseball player for the Detroit Tigers, is the first in 45 years to claim the 'triple crown': he has the best annual batting average, the highest number of homeruns and the best RBI. Jeffrey Brown gets perspective from Drew Sharp of the Detroit Free Press on Cabrera's record and his place in baseball history.

AMERICA - Baseball, Season's Twists of Fate

"Red Sox, Braves Strike Out in Wild Card Chase" (Part-1) PBS Newshour 9/29/2011

JEFFREY BROWN (Newshour): And finally tonight, triumphant wins, catastrophic collapses and a baseball night to remember.

They called it wild card Wednesday, the final night of the regular season, with four teams vying for two remaining spots in baseball's postseason field. And when it was over, the sport had indeed seen one of the wildest nights in its history.

The Saint Louis Cardinals got things started, shutting out the Houston Astros 8-0. At the beginning of September, the Cardinals had trailed the Atlanta Braves by eight-and-a-half games, but had surged in recent weeks, winning 23 of their last 31. The Braves, having faltered all month, still had a chance, needing a win over the Philadelphia Phillies. They went to 13 innings, but a double play ended the game and Atlanta's season, in a stunning collapse.

DAN UGGLA, Atlanta Braves: That's definitely disappointing. You know, whatever happened this last month, I mean, we played our -- we played our butts off all month. It just wasn't in the cards for us, I guess.

JEFFREY BROWN: Instead, the Cards held all the cards. Saint Louis clinched a first-round playoff berth, facing Philadelphia this weekend.

PLAYER: We just kept playing hard and kept winning some games. And they were losing. And we were -- you know, all of a sudden, we're right back in it. And we were able to see it through.

JEFFREY BROWN: In the American league, even more last-minute drama, as the Boston Red Sox and Tampa Bay Rays also began the night tied for a wild card slot.

The Red Sox led the Baltimore Orioles in the ninth inning, and needed only one out to finish it. But the Orioles scored twice, to win 4-3. Just minutes later, in Tampa, the Rays' third baseman, Evan Longoria, stepped to the plate in the bottom of the 12th inning...

ANNOUNCER: Home run! A home run!

JEFFREY BROWN: ... in a tie game against the New York Yankees. Tampa had trailed 7-0 at one point, but Longoria's heroics sent his team to the playoffs.

EVAN LONGORIA, Tampa Bay Rays: You can't even really put it into words. I mean, we were out here for, I think, the better part of five hours, and then at the end there, it seemed like everything happened in a matter of seconds.

JEFFREY BROWN: Ecstasy for Tampa, and agony for Boston, one of baseball's best teams all year, but losers of 20 of their last 27 games and now out of the playoffs altogether.

"'Baseball Gods' Wind Down Regular Season With Dramatic Twists" (Part-2) PBS Newshour 9/29/2011

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JOHN FEINSTEIN, sportswriter/author: Yes. If you believe in the baseball gods, they were certainly at work last night, creating this extraordinary, karmic activity within this period, because what the rain delay did was, at 11:40 last night, the Atlanta Braves lost to be out of the playoffs, blowing the biggest lead a team had blown in 111 years, to finish out of the playoffs.

JEFFREY BROWN (Newshour): Not that anybody keeps track.

JOHN FEINSTEIN: Nobody keeps track of that.

(LAUGHTER)

JOHN FEINSTEIN: They keep track of everything in baseball, every stat.

Twenty-five minutes later, the Boston Red Sox broke that record. So it had stood for 111 years. Then it stood for 25 minutes. And the Red Sox lost in Baltimore, and, three minutes later, Evan Longoria hits the game-winning home run in Tampa.

But what was more unbelievable was three of the four teams that lost last night, two of them were one out from winning the game, and one of them, the Braves, were two outs from winning the game, and none of them won.