Baseball Toaster: Bronx Banter : Treasure Trove

Hot from the Toaster

Toaster Sites
Baseball Toaster
Toaster.TV

Suggested Reading

Alex:
Ray Negron part 1 2 3 4
Dad, Reggie and Me
Slaughterhouse Five
Way Out in Brooklyn
Heat Fave
Passing
Love, Death and Baseball

Cliff:
First-Half Review
2008 Draft Roundup
July Farm Report
On the Offense
2008 Campers
All-Star Game: 1977, 2008
The Holy "Trinity": 1904 1949
Yankees by the Numbers
SportsIllustrated.com archive

Other Writing

Alex:
Strikes and Gutters: A Year with the Coen Brothers: Part 1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7
My 20 Favorite Hip Hop Albums
Greatest Singles from Hip Hop's Golden Era (1986-1994)
Ten Neglected Hip Hop Classics

Cliff:
Tin Ear
Pazz & Jop ballots: 2007, 2006, 2005, 2004, 2003 (post), 2002, 2001
Clem Snide
Eminem
Sleater-Kinney

Bronx Banter Interviews

Roger Angell
Allen Barra
Jim Bouton
Howard Bryant: Part 1, Part 2
Ken Burns: Part 1, Part 2
Will Carroll
Ethan Coen
Malcom Gladwell
Bill James
Pat Jordan
Chuck Korr: Part 1 Part 2
Jane Leavy
Michael Lewis
Tim Marchman
Marvin Miller
Rob Neyer: Part 1, Part 2
Buster Olney: April 2003, Sept. 2004
Buck O'Neil
Joe Posnanski
Alan Schwarz
Joel Sherman
Tom Verducci

Excerpts

Juicing the Game by Howard Bryant Part 1 Part 2
Forging Genius by Steven Goldman Part 1 Part 2
How About That! by Stephen Borelli
The Crowd Sounds Happy by Nicholas Dawidoff
The Last Nine Innings by Charles Euchner
Clemente by David Maraniss
The Soul of Baseball by Joe Posnanaski
Glenn Stout and Richard A. Johnson:
Yankee Century: Part 1 Part 2
Red Sox Century: 1 2 3 4
The Dodgers: 120 Years of Dodgers Baseball

Players

25-man Roster:

Infielders:
J. Giambi BR BP E MLB
R. Cano BR BP E MLB
D. Jeter BR BP E MLB
A. Rodriguez BR BP E MLB
W. Betemit BR BP E MLB mi
C. Ransom BR BP E MLB mi

Outfielders:
B. Abreu BR BP E MLB
J. Damon BR BP E MLB
X. Nady BR BP E MLB
H. Matsui BR BP E MLB mi
B. Gardner BR E MLB mi

Catchers:
I. Rodriguez BR BP E MLB
J. Molina BR BP E MLB
C. Moeller BR BP E MLB mi

Starting Pitchers:
M. Mussina BR BP BC E
A. Pettitte (L) BR BP BC E
S. Ponson BR BP BC E mi
D. Rasner BR BP BC E mi
C. Pavano BR BP BC E mi

Relief Pitchers:
M. Rivera BR BP BC E
J. Chamberlain BR BP BC E
D. Marte (L) BR BP BC E
J. Veras BR BP BC E mi
E. Ramirez BR BP BC E mi
B. Bruney BR BP BC E mi
D. Giese BR BP BC E mi
C. Britton BR BP BC E mi
A. Aceves BR E mi
P. Coke (L) BR BC E mi

15-day DL:
C. Wang BR BP BC E
60-day DL:
J. Posada BR BP E MLB
J. Albaladejo BR BP BC E mi
A. Brackman BC
H. Sanchez BC mi

Coaches:
J. Girardi (Mgr) BR BP BC
R. Thomson (Bench) BC
Kevin Long (Hit) BR
D. Eiland (Pitch) BR BP BC
B. Meacham (3B) BR BP BC
T. Peña (1B) BR BP BC
M. Harkey (Pen) BR BP BC

40-man Roster:
AAA
S. Duncan BR BP E MLB mi
J. Miranda BR BC mi
M. Cabrera BR BP E MLB
J. Christian BR BP E MLB mi
P. Hughes BR BP BC E mi
I. Kennedy BR BP BC E mi
C. Wright (L) BR BP BC E mi
D. Robertson BR BC E mi
S. Patterson BR BC mi
AA
F. Cervelli BR BC mi
J. Marquez BR BC mi DL

Designated for Assignment:
B. Traber (L) BR BP BC E mi

Select Minor Leaguers:

AAA Scranton Wilkes-Barre Yankees:
B. Castro BR mi DL
C. Basak BR BP BC E MLB mi
E. Duncan BC mi
N. Green BR mi
B. Broussard BR mi
M. Carson BC mi
C. Stewart BR BP E MLB mi
J. Brown BC mi DL
K. Igawa (L) BR BP BC E JB mi
M. Melancon BC mi
J.B. Cox BC mi
S. Strickland BR BC mi
S. Jackson BC mi
E. Milton BR BC mi DL
V. Zambrano BR BC mi DL

AA Trenton Thunder:
K. Russo BR mi
R. Peña BC mi DL
C. Malec BC mi
M. Vechionacci BC mi DL
A. Jackson BC mi
C. Curtis BC mi
E. Gonzalez BR mi
P.J. Pilittere BC mi
J. Jones BC mi
G. Kontos BC mi
J. Nuñez BC mi
B. Smith BC mi DL
A. Claggett BC mi
O. Perez BR BC mi
M. Gardner BC mi
K. Whelan BC mi
W. Arias (L) BC mi

A Tampa Yankees:
E. Nuñez BC mi
C.J. Henry BC mi DL
T. Battle BC mi
K. Anson BC mi
J. Gil BC mi
A. Horne BC mi DL
Z. McAllister BC mi
W. De La Rosa (L) BC mi
C. Garcia BC mi

Low-A Charleston RiverDogs:
J. Snyder BC mi
M. Cusick BC mi
B. Suttle BC mi
A. Romine BC mi
J. Montero BC mi
D. Betances BC mi
J. Heredia BC mi
J. Ortiz BC mi
C. Heyer BC mi

Low-A Staten Island Yankees:
D. Adams mi
P. Venditte mi

Rookie Gulf Coast Yankees:
C. Joseph mi
C. Smith mi
K. Higashioka mi

Key:
BR = Baseball-Reference
BP = Baseball Prospectus
BC = Baseball Cube (past mL stats)
mi = MiLB.com (current mL stats)
E = ESPN (current splits, game logs)
MLB = MLB.com hit charts
JB = Japanese Baseball.com

The Recently Departed

2008 Yankees:
R. Sexson BR BP E MLB
M. Ensberg BR BP E MLB
A. Gonzalez BR BP E MLB mi
K. Farnsworth BR BP BC E
L. Hawkins BR BP BC E

Nady/Marte Trade:
J. Tabata BC mi
R. Ohlendorf BR BP BC E
D. McCutchen BC mi
J. Karstens BR BP BC E mi

2008 Campers/mLers:
C. Woodward BR BP BC E MLB PHI mL
J. Lane BR mi BOS mL
G. Porter BC mi WAS mL
J.D. Closser BR mi SD mL
S. Henn (L) BR BP BC E mi SD
H. Phillips (L) BR BC mi TB mL
S. White BR BC mi

2007 Yankees:
J. Torre (Mgr) BR BP BC LAD
D. Mientkiewicz BR BP BC E MLB PIT mL
A. Phillips BR BP BC E MLB mi CIN mL
J. Phelps BR BP BC E MLB STL mL
M. Cairo BR BP BC E MLB SEA
K. Thompson BR BP BC E MLB mi PIT
B. Sardinha BC mi SEA mL
W. Nieves BR BP BC E MLB WAS mL
R. Clemens BR BP BC E mi
T. Clippard BR BP BC E mi WAS
L. Vizcaino BR BP BC E COL $7.5m/2yrs
M. DeSalvo BR BP BC E mi ATL mL
M. Myers (L) BR BP BC E LAD mL
R. Villone (L) BR BP BC E mi STL mL
S. Proctor BR BP BC E LAD
J. Brower BR BP BC E mi CIN mL
C. Bean BR BP BC E mi ATL mL

2007 Campers and mLers:
E. Durazo BR BP BC E MLB mi
A. Cannizaro BR BP BC E MLB mi TB mL
A. Chavez BR BP BC E MLB mi LAD mL
K. Reese BR BP BC E MLB mi
R. Chavez BR BP BC E MLB mi PIT mL
O. Santos BC mi BAL mL
T. Pratt BR BP BC E MLB
T.J. Beam BR BP BC E mi PIT mL
B. Kozlowski (L) BR BP BC E mi Japan

Molina Trade:
J. Kennard BC mi

Abreu Trade
M. Smith (L) BR BP BC E mi PHI
C. Monasterios BC mi PHI
J. Sanchez mi PHI

Food Blogs

Syndication

About the Toaster

Baseball Toaster runs on some experimental software called Fairpole. It's still under development.

For more information, please visit the Fairpole blog, or read the FAQ.

Treasure Trove

2008-07-07 09:47

by Alex Belth

A few months ago I invited myself to Ray Robinson's apartment, ostensibly to get his list of ten essential baseball books, but really so I could lay eyes on his library of sports books. Robinson, an author (Iron Horse) and longtime magazine editor, grew up on the Upper West Side, near Columbia. When he was a kid, Robinson got a delivery job at a local liquor store, and he found himself making stops over at Babe Ruth's apartment at 110 Riverside Drive. He'd say, 'Thanks keed,'" Ray told me. "He called everybody 'keeed,' because he couldn't remember anyone's name. And he would invariably honor me with a couple of dollar bills."

Ray and his wife, Phyliss were wonderful with me. We chatted in the living room of their comfortable New York apartment for about an hour and Ray shared his selections of favorite baseball books with me. I poked my nose through his collection and as I was about to leave, Ray said, "Oh, would you like to see my scrapbooks?"

"Sure, I would."

Ray picked-up a bright orange plastic bag from the bottom of the bookshelf, the kind you'd get from the local Chinese take out. He pulled out two weathered books, practically falling apart, one dated 1932, the other, 1933. They were filled with pictures of players from every team in baseball. Ray cut-out images mostly from The New York Sun, The Saturday Evening Post, assorted baseball magazines as well as baseball cards. Then, along with some friends, he'd scout the hotel lobbies where the out-of-town teams stayed, to get autographs.

The books are lovingly, obsessively assembled, filled with small notations. Ray expressed some embarrassment when I complemented him on how wonderful, how personal the books are. He dismissed his sketch of the Babe as being awful, but I liked it and his wife did too.

Ray asked if he should sell the books--after all, he's got a couple of Lefty Groves in there, a Honus Wagner, Dizzy Dean. Phyliss said that she didn't think that was a good idea. I quickly agreed.

"You can't sell these," I said. "They belong in a museum or for your grandkids."

As I looked carefully through the two books, Ray kept wondering if he should sell them. I said, "No way," but when I left I felt foolish. Who am I to say that he shouldn't sell them? There is probably some serious money in those two books. Still, they feel too personal to part with. They are not kept under a glass case, they are in a plastic bag on the shelf, a secret baseball treasure on the Upper East Side.

Yesterday, the New York Times featured a short essay by Ray Robinson about his scrapbooks.

Check it out and dig what I was able to see:

How cool is this?

Advertisement

Comments

2008-07-07 10:27:56

1. Alex Belth

Here is a Ray Robinson clip from the New York Observer shortly after Joe DiMaggio died...

"There was one anecdote -- I will not use the name of the person -- that gives some insight. About eight or nine years ago, when Joe was visiting New York on a summer evening, he told a very close friend that he hadn't had a good Italian meal in a long time. "Do you know any good places?" he asked. And the friend did, it was some place down in the East Village. It was a very satisfactory meal, after which his friend, of course, paid for it. He was very reluctant to pick up tabs. Then when they walked outside into the heat of the summer night, Joe said, 'You know, I haven't had a good ice cream cone in a long time." So they went into an ice cream place around the corner and immediately, of course, the guy behind the counter said, "What'll you have, Mr. DiMaggio?" And DiMaggio said, "I'll have the best thing you have with all the trimmings." And this guy presented him with this magnificent ice cream cone with all sorts of stuff on it. And Joe said, "How much is it?" And the guy said, "Five dollars." And Joe said, "Take it back."

I imagine he was a very lonely guy, even though he was always treated like a potentate. He was almost like a head of state. I think he was very cognizant of the fact that he was one of the first Italian heroes and he wanted to behave properly in every way, including how he looked and how he appeared on the ballfield. DiMaggio was silky, elegant. I can see him now. He always looked good on a ball field."

2008-07-07 10:33:54

2. williamnyy23

The photos are fascinating...and the Ruth sketch is pretty good, even if it looks more like Joba.

2008-07-07 10:40:14

3. bobtaco

My grandfather is a big autograph hunter now, and he always talks with some regret about how many people he met and could have had signed for him. This would really make him happy and jealous I bet.

Also, how can you put a price on these books? They are one of a kind.

2008-07-07 10:40:25

4. Cliff Corcoran

Did you just order a five-dollar shake?

A shake? Milk and ice cream?

It costs five dollars?

You don't put bourbon in it or anything?

---

Remarkable stuff above, Alex. You'd told me about it and it's a joy to finally see the photos.

2008-07-07 10:48:42

5. Max

Wow, these are amazing...no way should he sell.

I always get a buzz out of seeing obsessive stuff like this, because I treasure memories and am a pack rat, but I'm just not wired to put together mementos in this way...all the connections swirl around in my head and stay stuck there.

I had a friend when I was growing up that did this same sort of scrapbooking, but for his fave basketball teams and players instead...I was insanely jealous of his creativity.

2008-07-07 11:02:31

6. Alex Belth

Thanks, Cliff and co. I only got a couple of rushed minutes to take pictures, with a so-so camera. The beauty part is that Ray is such a gentleman. What a terrific guy.

2008-07-07 11:07:57

7. pistolpete

My grandfather and Mr. Robinson must have been cut from the same cloth, because I have 2 similar scrapbooks in my possession that contain a ton of clippings from around that era as well.

One is basically articles & photos from the entire 1936 World Series, Yanks vs. NY Giants.

They're both extremely fragile, and I'm wondering what I should do with them myself. Is there someplace that might help me preserve them somehow?

2008-07-07 11:31:02

8. standuptriple

Awesome! I've gathered a few autographs over the years. Some significant, others quite boring to others. I cherrish them all.
Side note: I met Jeff Marquez' uncle on the 4th (he brought some very nice Anejo tequilla to the in-laws). Maybe I'll get one from him in the not-too-distant future to add to the collection.

2008-07-07 12:53:54

9. Raf

7 The Baseball Hall of Fame may be interested.

2008-07-07 13:04:29

10. JL25and3

I have a baseball signed by the 1936 Yankees.

Also, apropos to the previous post: my brother has a set of two or three seats from the old Yankee Stadium. My dad bought them some five years after the Stadium closed down for renovations. He found them at some architectural salvage place in Connecticut, nothing special, and they didn't cost much.

2008-07-07 15:45:26

11. RIYank

Sorry this is off-topic. If I knew there would be a more 'current baseball events' thread soon, I'd save it.

RLYB has an ongoing series listing players by position, ordered according to total runs produced + runs prevented. (They use pBRAA and RSAA).
Here's an unsurprising one: A-Rod tops the list of 3Bs (by a mile). He's actually -1 defensively, but, turns out the guy hits real well.

Here's another unsurprising one: Posada is dead average, with -4 on defense and +4 on offense. Molina is +5 on D, but a dreadful -9 on O.

Now the surprise: Jeter is +2 on defense! He's prevented 2 runs this year compared to the average SS. He's also +7 on offense, ranking third on the overall list. (Michael Young is first on the strength of his offense and Orlando Cabrera is second with nice balance, but Jeter is not far behind them.)

Advertisement