Mia Judkins

Past Pretty: Weekly dose of awesome old-school baseball

Blondie Purcell, Baltimore Orioles, baseball card portrait

Source: Library of Congress Prints and Photographs Division Washington, D.C. 20540 USA http://hdl.loc.gov/loc.pnp/pp.print Baseball cards from the Benjamin K. Edwards Collection.

Past Pretty: Weekly dose of awesome old-school baseball

Baseball game, Huntingdon, Pennsylvania

By Rosskam, Edwin, July 1941

Source: Library of Congress Prints and Photographs Division Washington, D.C. 20540 USA http://hdl.loc.gov/loc.pnp/pp.print

Past Pretty: Weekly dose of awesome old-school baseball

Davis, Cleveland Naps, baseball card portrait; Card set: Helmar Stamps (T332).

Issued by: Helmar Tobacco Company

Source: Library of Congress Prints and Photographs Division Washington, D.C. 20540 USA http://hdl.loc.gov/loc.pnp/pp.print Baseball cards from the Benjamin K. Edwards Collection.

Fifty Lashes 2012 Awards Ceremony: 1st Place

May I present, a scholar, a gentleman, a pitcher, and my top point-scorer for the 2012 Fifty Lashes: Lord Maxwell Scherzer!

Lord Scherzer, in all his Bowie-eyed greatness, earned me a total of 514.8 points, 187.2 innings pitched, 78 earned runs, and a mind-blowing 231 strikeouts over the 2012 season.

Fifty Lashes 2012 Awards Ceremony: 2nd and 3rd Place

Ladies and gentlemen: My second and third top scorers, Mr. Buster Posey and Mr. Angel Pagan.

Both did an admirable job at keeping the Fifty Lashes from last place, and for that I am truly thankful. Mr. MVPosey’s final points tally was 476.5, with 78 runs (including 24 homeruns), and Mr. Pagan’s was 447, with 92 runs.

Fifty Lashes 2012 Awards Ceremony: 4th Place

My fourth top point-scorer is none other than the bearer of some of the most defined lashes on the Fifty Lashes squad, Mr. Ryan Vogelsong.

In the 2012 season, he earned a grand total of 436.8 points, with 71 earned runs in 189.2 innings (the lowest ERA of any pitcher in my team).

Well done, Sir, well done indeed.

There are many things that have made my life difficult this fantasy season, but the most persistent is something I call the Light Lash Conundrum. In short, I try to be a fair and balanced in my drafting practices, giving equal opportunity to players of every hair color, but men with light colored hair have lashes that are difficult to see in photos, regardless of how full and lush they may be.

To fully assess the lash quality of a player, I ideally need a reasonably high-resolution picture of the player in profile, gently lit from behind or above. Like so:

David Wright, 3B, New York Mets and Ryan Braun, OF, Milwaukee Brewers

There are two sets of baseball players that my method clearly disadvantages: 1. The not-often-photographed, and 2. The light lashed. Unfortunately for the brethren of the light lashes, it is much harder to highlight the glory of their lashes with a photograph. Where their dark-lashed brothers are able to display their lash prowess in less-than-ideal conditions, the light-lashed players look like they have bald lids. Hence the Light Lash Conundrum. For example:

A.J. Burnett, SP, Pittsburgh Pirates and Hunter Pence, OF, San Franciso Giants

This year I watched several games with closeups of both Mr. Pence and Mr. Burnett and can confirm that they both have lovely, long, lush lashes. This is the injustice of blond hair, people. 

There’s nothing I can really do about this, except for being as aware of this unfortunate bias as I manage my team. Any suggestions for balancing the Light Lash Conundrum?

If you count being quoted about Angel Pagan’s luscious lashes as baseball expertery…

Read all about it in the St Louis Post Dispatch!

Past Pretty: Weekly dose of awesome old-school baseball

BASEBALL, PROFESSIONAL PLAYERS. FOSTER by Harris & Ewing, 1916

Source: Library of Congress Prints and Photographs Division Washington, DC 20540 USA http://hdl.loc.gov/loc.pnp/pp.print

Past Pretty: Weekly dose of awesome old-school baseball

[Germany Schaefer, Washington AL (baseball)] by Bain News Service, 1911

Photo shows Herman A. “Germany” Schaefer (1876-1919), one of the most entertaining characters in baseball history, trying out the other side of the camera during the Washington Senators visit to play the New York Highlanders in April, 1911. Germany Schaefer, a versatile infielder and quick baserunner, played most of his career with the Detroit Tigers and the Washington Senators. The camera is a 5x7 Press Graflex with a modification to accommodate the large lens. The camera was produced by the Folmer & Schwing Division of Eastman Kodak Co. between 1907 and 1923. 

Source: Library of Congress Prints and Photographs Division Washington, DC 20540 USA http://hdl.loc.gov/loc.pnp/pp.print

Past Pretty: Weekly dose of awesome old-school baseball

[Baseball player Eckersall of Anson’s Colts baseball team, following through after throwing a baseball]. 1908

Informal full-length portrait of baseball player Eckersall of Anson’s Colts baseball team, following through after throwing a baseball, standing in front of grandstands on a baseball field in Chicago, Illinois. An unidentified baseball player is standing in the background. Dark-colored spots are visible on this image.

Source: SDN-053917, Chicago Daily News negatives collection, Chicago History Museum.

Past Pretty: Weekly dose of awesome old-school baseball

Bayly Underhill baseball team ca 1890-1910

Group portrait a baseball team in Denver, Colorado; shows men and women in uniforms with applique letters: “Bayly Underhill.” Sports equipment includes bats, balls, gloves and mitts.

Source: Western History/Genealogy Department, Denver Public Library, 10 W. 14th Avenue Parkway, Denver, Colorado 80204.

Past Pretty: Weekly dose of awesome old-school baseball

The base-ball Laocoon by L.M. Glackens. N.Y. Published by Keppler & Schwarzmann, Puck Building, 1913 May 14.

Illustration shows three baseball players entwined by snakes formed of baseballs labeled “Base Ball Trust”; each carries a “Contract”, one for $8000, one for $10000, and one for $12000 and also stuffed in his belt papers labeled “Bonds, Stocks, [and] Deed Oran[ge] Farm”.

Source: Library of Congress Prints and Photographs Division Washington, DC 20540 USA http://hdl.loc.gov/loc.pnp/pp.print

Past Pretty: Weekly dose of awesome old-school baseball

[Baseball player, Gearin] by Chicago Daily News, Inc., photographer. ca 1919

Half-length portrait of baseball player Gearin wearing a suit, sitting in front of a light-colored backdrop in a room in Chicago, Illinois.

Source: Library of Congress Prints and Photographs Division Washington, DC 20540 USA http://hdl.loc.gov/loc.pnp/pp.print

Past Pretty: Weekly dose of awesome old-school baseball

Girls baseball, June 10, 1920

Source: Library of Congress Prints and Photographs Division Washington, DC 20540 USA http://hdl.loc.gov/loc.pnp/pp.print

Past Pretty: Weekly dose of awesome old-school baseball

Star Club Baseball game from third base side. ca 1870-1880

Source: Library of Congress Prints and Photographs Division Washington, DC 20540 USA http://hdl.loc.gov/loc.pnp/pp.print

Past Pretty: Weekly dose of awesome old-school baseball

Here’s one that looks doubtful

Lindstrom, 1st man up, bunted down the 3rd base line and is shown crossing 1st where he was called out by umpire Kineen. It looks as if he has the throw beat.

Source: Library of Congress Prints and Photographs Division Washington, DC 20540 USA http://hdl.loc.gov/loc.pnp/pp.print

Past Pretty: Weekly dose of awesome old-school baseball

[Baseball team on ship named WASHINGTON (baseball)] ca 1911

Source: Library of Congress Prints and Photographs Division Washington, DC 20540 USA http://hdl.loc.gov/loc.pnp/pp.print

Opponent: Ryan Braun’s Sample

Outcome: The Fifty Lashes lost (284.8 to 289.3) By 4.5 points! What’s up with these super close games?!

Prettiest-eyed opposing player: Jonathan Lucroy (catcher for the Milwaukee Brewers)

It’s a shame catchers wear such lash-obscuring masks.

Not living up to lash potential:

J.D. Martinez, OF, Houston Astros (L), Sergio Romo, RP, San Francisco Giants 

How is it possible that someone with as pretty, sparkly eyes as Mr. J.D. Martinez, could earn so few points? He has returned to the bottom two, earning only 3.5 points, and a golden sombrero.

And now for a personal message to Mr. Sergio Romo. Listen here, Mr. Romo: until you stop blowing saves, and start earning more than 1.5 points a week, you can stay under that towel. You heard me! No more nice, towel-free pics or gifs till you earn more points. 

Sometimes tough love is the only way.

Top scorers:

Tim Lincecum, SP, San Francisco Giants (L), Clay Buchholz, SP,Boston Red Sox

I have given up agonizing over Mr. Lincecum’s sporadic performances and started to see it as Andy Kaufman-esque performance art/comedy. This week he earned 46.9 points, but next week he might just stand on the mound and read The Great Gatsby.

Clay Buchholz also had a great week, earning 34.9 points, but with far less chance of bongo drums.

A new challenger approaches:

My next opponent is The Power of David Bowie. To be honest, I doubt I can defeat any team with that name.

Past Pretty: Weekly dose of awesome old-school baseball

Schacht, 1920 (Washington Senator’s player Alexander Schacht in 1920)

Source: Library of Congress Prints and Photographs Division Washington, DC 20540 USA http://hdl.loc.gov/loc.pnp/pp.print