Baseball History: Some Things Never Change

Baseball history, like all history, certainly is ever changing, but some aspects of the game have remained unchanged for well over a half-century. There are a few reasons for this - over time the basic rules of the game have for the most part remained unaltered; the development of essential skills continues to involve an investment of time and personnel by ball clubs; and fans have always flocked to see money players and exciting teams.

In 1976, Major League Baseball (MLB) was changed forever with the birth of free agency. Since its inception, the owners had held power over all players. They could trade anyone at anytime and control, with relative ease, what individuals would be paid. Great players, like Babe Ruth, usually commanded solid salaries but with free agency players were able to negotiate their contracts and to go to a team willing to pay their price.

Still, as it had always been, players had to have the skills a team needed to get their price. The one major difference was that players were now able to sign guaranteed contracts, which stated that they would be paid their salary no matter how they performed and even if they were injured.

Seventy-three years before free agency, professional baseball underwent a change that would influence the way in which the Majors conducted business and found players. In 1903 the National Association of Professional Base Ball Leagues, better known as the Minor Leagues, was formed in order to create some order in which Major League teams acquired players from small market clubs. In the 1930s the great Branch Rickey developed the structure for what we know today as the "Minor Leagues." Rickey’s formalization of the "Minors," which became dedicated to developing players who could perform in the Majors, was jokingly called the "farm system" because small town clubs were raising young players "like corn" down on the farm.

Since the 1930s, MLB has relied upon affiliate farm teams to develop players for the big leagues to supply promising prospects for trades, or to simply provide adequate replacements when necessary. Today, the Minor League system is highly developed, bringing players up through A, AA, and AAA ball. When a team is looking to make a trade for a solid Major Leaguer, one way they can sweeten the deal is by including prospects from the minors. Additionally, one way for owners to keep costs down is to bring up players from the "farm team" when they’re ready. By doing this a MLB team can save millions of dollars.

Bringing up an adequate second baseman from the minors and paying him the minimum $327,000 for the season can prove to have more value than paying a veteran infielder 2.5 million dollars. Using a certain number of non-veterans allows a team to spend more money on other positions, especially pitching, which is always at a premium and comes at a high price.

The Minor Leagues have always been a cost-saving venture for clubs but with today’s exorbitant salaries, the strength of the players union, and most clubs carrying payrolls of under one-hundred million dollars, the strategic use of Minor League players can make the difference in both turning a profit and winning the World Series.

Using players from the farm club actually gives owners more power, since those team members who have been brought up are not eligible for salary arbitration until they have three years in the Majors and cannot become free agents until they’ve accumulated six or more years in the big leagues. Today, for a brief part of a player’s career, National and American League owners have the power they used to possess over every player prior to 1976.

Teams looking to win a championship and attract as much revenue as possible have often invested money in key players. Throughout baseball’s history, there have been owners willing to pay more than others. In 1919, some of the Chicago White Sox, which was owned by Charles Comiskey, decided to throw the World Series to their National League counterparts, the Cincinnati Reds.

The White Sox players felt they were both underpaid and under-appreciated by their boss and figured if they bet on the underdog Reds and insured that the National Leaguers would win, they’d make a tidy profit. They did just that, but they also got caught. It became known as the Black Sox Scandal of 1919, and it’s a constant reminder to owners of how a man like Comiskey, who had a whole lot of money, could be penny-wise and pound-foolish.

Of course, spending a lot of money does not insure a team will win the World Series or even the League Championship. Since the New York Yankees payroll exceeded one hundred millions dollars five years ago, they’ve been unable to win it all. The last few years Steinbrenner and company have been handing over two hundred million in team pay. Last year’s champs, the Chicago White Sox, paid out a little over seventy-five million to their players. It was ironic, because they had not won the Series since 1917, prior to the big scandal.

Most analysts agree that a MLB club needs to wisely spend about seventy million to be competitive. That’s why some pundits believe that the Toronto Blue Jays, who reached that magic salary mark this season by adding quality players and about thirty million to their pay roll, are a club to watch.

The basic idea at work regarding salary prior to free agency is that a happy player - one who feels he’s being treated and paid fairly - can equal a happy owner with a winning team. After free agency, the thought became that in order to compete a team had to pay a player what the market dictated and owners, to a degree, had the ability to control that market. These are, in essence, two sides of the same coin.

If we could resurrect Cy Young, Shoeless Joe Jackson, and Home Run Baker and bring them out to the ballpark, they’d certainly still understand the game, even though it has changed. Since their time, there has been the development of specialty pitchers, creation of artificial turf, and the addition of the designated hitter in the American League. The mound, strike zone, and scoreboards are all different too.

Player skills are still fundamentally the same, except more advanced. They would get the idea that a better player should command more money than a player with less skill. But the overall economics of the game would probably baffle those great players. That has added a new type of off-field strategy that owners who want to win must master. Since the turn of the 19th century, it’s been the greatest change MLB has seen.

Baseball Collectibles in High Demand

Baseball collectible enthusiasts have an appetite for more than just playing cards. The memorabilia that's now being sought after spans the spectrum from bobble heads, bats, gloves, jerseys to autographed balls, caps and even action figures.

Of course the best kind of baseball collectible is the one you were able to secure for yourself - having a baseball player sign an autograph is a memory you won't soon forget.

But for many fans of the sport, baseball collectibles can only be obtained through online purchases or the occasional gift a loved one presented to them. Memorabilia is often passed down from generation to generation, increasing the value of the baseball collectibles throughout the years.

It's just the monetary value of the memorabilia that makes it so special. Baseball is America's favorite past time, and baseball collectibles often provide fond memories of warm summer nights and good times spent with friends and family.

When it comes to keepsakes, the barriers of team against team break down because fans often appreciate the value of a baseball collectible regardless of what team the item originated from.

While cards used to be the primary starter kit for any fan wishing to amass a collection of baseball memorabilia, today's collectors focus on a variety of mementos. Vintage equipment, pins, and pennants are a staple of many fans' baseball collectibles.

Anything carrying an autograph from a player, such as a cap, call, or glove is a prized possession when it comes to baseball collectibles. Bobbing (or bobble head) dolls of players are extremely popular, circulating from as early as the 1950s when baseball was as much a part of every American family's life as the food on their dinner table.

Some fans like to approach their baseball collectibles from the standpoint of team memorabilia, focusing on an entire assortment of Yankee or Red Sox souvenirs. Others prefer to simply collect items from major players of any team, as long as the player made an impact on the game itself.

While modern day figures may not fetch as much as the ones who made this game so popular in the beginning, that hasn't deterred loyal fans from scooping up keepsakes from the headliners of today. Not only are baseball collectibles a good investment of memorabilia, but many fans enjoy the fun they have tracking down special and unique pieces to preserve over the years and pass down to their own heirs.

eBay Baseball Cards Buyers Guide

Those that like to buy baseball cards likely already use eBay as a source. However, many do not know how to get the best deals on eBay baseball cards. Consider the following information before placing your next bid.

eBay has become a buyer's market. It is completely overloaded with sellers and products, including eBay baseball cards. What this means for you as a buyer is that you will be able to buy baseball cards at extremely low prices. In order for items on eBay to sell for high prices, there needs to be more than one person interested in an item. With over two million baseball cards listed at any given time, there is simply no way for each auction to draw interest from two or more people.

While individual cards are cheap, if you like to buy baseball cards in lots, eBay is the place to be. Single card purchases, no matter how cheap, will eventually become less cost effective due to the amount of shipping costs you might pay. However, eBay baseball cards that are offered in lots are not only inexpensive, but can drastically cut down on the amount of shipping you pay while building your collection.

There are cards that you will likely have to pay premium prices for. Often these are hot baseball rookie cards, vintage baseball cards that are in excellent condition, and extremely limited edition cards, such as one of one's. Autographed and memorabilia cards used to fall into the category, and some still do. However, most of these are now plentiful, and unless they are limited or feature a hot player, will not command high prices.

Individuals that buy baseball cards to complete sets should consider eBay their best friend. Base cards, inserts, refractors, and other parallels are just a few of the eBay baseball cards that set builders can find on the popular auction site. Depending on the set you are trying to complete, you may be able to find the cards you need in only a short period of time. In addition to eBay, consider checking out the Beckett Market Place, where three million sports cards are listed for sale.

eBay's "Buy It Now" option should be considered if a baseball card you need is listed this way, and the price is reasonable. Many prefer this option to bidding, as there is no guess work or bidding wars involved. However, bidding for eBay baseball cards has it's perks. I cannot even tell you how many baseball card auctions I have won for a penny. Penny auctions were originally a hot trend, as they were used to increase bidding, and for a while it worked. Now that the market is overcrowded, this strategy is only minimally effective.

Using eBay to buy baseball cards is quite a lot of fun. New cards are posted each and every day, and if you enjoy the thrill of getting a great bargain, eBay is the place you want to be. There are millions of eBay baseball cards to choose from, and collector's everywhere are taking advantage of this useful marketplace.

Collecting the Cheaters?

The great American game of baseball! Home runs, triple plays, and the World Series, make viewing this sport a great pastime. Fans, over generations of time, have come to hold special individual memories of baseball. It’s sealed in their minds; baseball IS the greatest sport of all time. This is what makes buying and selling sports cards and memorabilia so extremely popular.

Remembering, all is in the eye of the beholder, can it be that baseball history can define itself by years of great team lineups, talented athletes, extravagant game plays and greatest cheaters???

Who would have thought that in all baseball has provided for its fans, a set of stats dedicated to cheaters would fit in? No one would think that there would be a way that great athletes would conjure up or develop ways to improve their stats, career or even their place in baseball history. It is proven, however, that Hall of Fame greats and record breakers in the field of ball playing would actually be at the head of such schemes--no matter the severity of the scheme. Cheaters have been recognized throughout this sport since almost at its beginnings.

The most notable offenders and cheating title holders would be: John McGraw, Gaylord Perry, Ty Cobb, Mike Scott, Ken Hrbeck, Joe Niekro, Pete Rose, and Albert Belle. Later, and to add some variety to this interesting topic, one of the many baseball scandals include the 1919 Chicago White Sox sellout.

John McGraw was a Hall of Fame great who had a reputation for holding base runners by their belt loops and would even go as far as blocking and tripping runners. He was not afraid to try this stunt with runners larger than his 155lb frame.

Gaylord Perry, Hall of Fame inductee, had the infamous "spitter" ball or "Vaseline ball". While compiling his 314-265 record, this pitcher would stand on his mound and touch his sleeve or cap. At these times, he would "load up" his ball, or appear to "load up" his ball in order to psych out the batter at the plate, enhancing the hopes for a strikeout. Because of this naughty habit, this great athlete was one of the few pitchers in the sport to get reprimanded. In 1982 he was suspended from baseball for doctoring the ball.

Ty Cobb, or otherwise known as the "Georgia Peach", was not a Hall of Famer, but held dozens of the league’s records. However, despite the records, the major reason that this athlete was able to steal bases on occasion without fail was because fielders would fear the wrath of his sharpened spikes. Cobb had a nasty habit of using his pointed spikes as weapons on the base paths.

Mike Scott, also a holder of dozens of major league statistics, had a habit of using emery boards not for the nails on his hands but to shave a little bit here and there on the ball. Altering the ball in this way allowed many of the hitters to be potential strikeout victims.

Kent Hrbek was a charismatic player who helped his team reach two World Series. In 1991, his charisma was not enough to save him when in a play, a member of the opposing team landed on his base. Lo and behold, Hrbek in an orchestrated maneuver he thought to be covert bumped the fellow off the base. He tagged the guy out. What Hrbek did not know, was that there were cameras running at certain angles poised to catch him in the act. Hrbek himself found out what it was like to be OUT!

Joe Niekro was no stranger to the emery board, ball-shaving fix. Even though Niekro claimed the emery board in his pocket was to file his fingernails so he could keep his knuckleball skills in check, it wasn’t until 1987 he was caught cheating. An umps’ eye caught an emery board flying out of Niekro’s pocket and Niekro got suspended for 10 days, no doubt giving the pitcher sufficient time to keep a neat set of nails.

Pete Rose was a gambler. At times in the world of sports, inside information has benefited players or fans alike. One small fact could swing a bet one way or another, but no one would think that a player would bet on his own team. It would not only be ethically incorrect, but a detrimental career move if caught. Hall of Fame inductee Pete Rose made such a career-crippling move by placing bets on the outcomes of his own teams’ games!

In the unholy name of baseball cheating, there was Albert Belle. He was known to have "his own kind" of special bat; one that could have been known to hold more cork than a million bottles of champagne. In 1994, Belle was suspended for seven games in an occurrence where Albert’s bat was confiscated by an umpire after suspicions of bat tampering were made known to him.

There is still a strong sports card and memorabilia market for many of these infamous cheaters. Though some collectors prefer to stick with the players that were always on the "up and up" many of the cheaters did bring quite a lot of drama and character to the game.