Category: Society American Baseball Research
Great article in New York Times about 19th-century baseball and Spalding’s World Tour
Who Hit His First Homerun Off Cy Young? Fughedaboutit!
Cy Young, Cleveland Naps, baseball card portrait. T205 Gold Borders 1911 http://memory.loc.gov/pnp/bbc/1400/1480/1482br.jpg reverse (Photo credit: Wikipedia)
Yes, Con Daily, when he played in Brooklyn! On July 5th, top of the 5th inning, while playing for Brooklyn Bridegrooms (now Los Angeles Dodgers) against Indianapolis, in Indianapolis. This was one of only two home runs that Con hit his entire career. He was not a power hitter. But boy, oh boy, to have hit a homer off Cy Young is pretty special. Here is more info from BaseballReference.com.
http://www.baseball-reference.com/players/event_hr.cgi?id=dailyco01
Huge Baseball Card Collection…
Metropolitan Museum of Art entrance NYC (Photo credit: Wikipedia)
There’s a huge baseball card collection at the Metropolitan Museum of Art! I know! And it’s been there a long time, it’s a permanent collection. I know! And this summer it will feature cards from the Deadball Era!
There are 30,000 cards (second largest collection to Cooperstown‘s Hall of Fame.) I can’t wait to check it–I am sure that there are cards of my great-grandfather, Con Daily (and his brother Ed!)
How fabulous is this?! Check it out! And in the meantime, check out this cool article and video by ESPN’s Paul Lukas about the exhibit http://espn.go.com/blog/playbook/fandom/post/_/id/22048/inside-the-mets-surprising-card-collection
A great 19th-century player
English: Keokuk, Iowa, baseball club featuring Bud Fowler, 1885. Identifications: Back row: Schomberg, O’Brien, Bud Fowler, Corcoran, Decker. Middle row: Harrington. Front row: Kennedy, Van Dyke, Dugdale, Hudson, Harter. (Photo credit: Wikipedia)
Check out this great story in the NY Times. Cooperstown will honor legend, 19th-century player Bud Fowler http://www.nytimes.com/2013/04/15/sports/baseball/cooperstown-to-honor-baseball-pioneer-bud-fowler.html?_r=1&
Behind the Scenes at 42
Jackie Robinson’s retired # 42 at Dodgers Stadium (Photo credit: pvsbond)
Really great article from SABR about the making of the Jackie Robinson movie. 42.
http://sabr.org/latest/filmmaker-brian-helgeland-brings-jackie-robinson-legend-life-42
Jackie Robinson’s Movie 42 and Brooklyn
Jackie Robinson swinging a bat in Dodgers uniform, 1954. (Photo credit: Wikipedia)
Big day for baseball! The movie 42 about Jackie Robinson opens in theatres. The NY Times gave it a great review. And here is a fun article in the Washington Post about Jackie Robinson’s Brooklyn. Can’t wait to see the movie–and to visit Robinson’s Brooklyn!
Cool Article in NY Times
Fans line up for hot dogs at Ebbets Field. (Photo credit: Wikipedia)
Check out this great piece in NY Times Sports section about Ebbets Field in Brooklyn. Con Daily played in Brooklyn in the 1800s.
Da Vinci Code is FREE this weekend and so why not Catcher in the Sky?
Cool that Dan Brown‘s book Da Vinci Code is free for a few days, including this weekend!
But the better news is that breakthrough kid’s novel Catcher in the Sky is also free this weekend! http://www.amazon.com/Catcher-in-the-Sky-ebook/dp/B00AFKTTOS/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1363976579&sr=8-1&keywords=catcher+in+the+sky
ESPN Stats About Con Daily
Stumbled across these batting and fielding stats for my great-grandfather, Cornelius Daily (Con) when he was a player more than 100 years ago. Baseball is timeless and that’s what makes it an American treasure. http://espn.go.com/mlb/player/stats/_/id/20697/con-daily
Con Daily baseball card (Photo credit: Wikipedia)
Con Daily Trades
Con Daily baseball card (Photo credit: Wikipedia)
It’s so much fun to Google Con Daily‘s name ever so often (alright, every day) to see what the Internet has drummed up on him. Just came across this, pretty cool. Those who follow this blog know that Con Daily was a stud 19th-century baseball player who just so happens to be my great-grandfather. I never met Con (you have no idea how much I wish I had and, more importantly, wish my talented baseball player son had) but I visit Con’s grave in Queens to pay my respect and I leave little baseball tokens like his baseball card which I bought online and a baseball Xmas ornament. Oh, and by they way, I found out where Con was buried through baseball encyclopedias and reference books. How do you like that?)
Anyway, now that spring training games have begun, I’ll be better about posting on this site. In the meantime, hang in there baseball lovers, not too much longer until we can once again live life to the fullest–with baseball.
Oh, and here is the link to the trades that Con was involved in http://www.baseball-almanac.com/players/trades.php?p=dailyco01
Catcher in the Sky 
