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Sunday, November 08, 2009

Baseball Picture of the Day: 20th Century Ice Baseball

T-minus 103 days until the Tampa Bay Rays’ Pitchers and Catchers report to camp, so I figured I’d start a new thing: Baseball Picture of the (usually) Day.

“Baseball on Lake Mendota ice at the University of Wisconsin—Madison. Photograph by Norman Lenburg, February 1984.”

This image is under a creative commons license

http://www.flickr.com/photos/23327394@N05/ / CC BY 2.0

Gamingboy Posted: November 08, 2009 at 04:41 PM | 19 comment(s) Login to Bookmark
Tags: special topics

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1. jwb Posted: November 08, 2009 at 07:44 PM (#3382372)

And that, my friends, is how real men play winter league baseball.

2. salajander Posted: November 08, 2009 at 08:08 PM (#3382383)

Preview of the April 12th season opener for the Twins?

3. rLr Is King Of The Romans And Above Grammar Posted: November 08, 2009 at 08:11 PM (#3382386)

A real Wisconsinite would be in a deer blind, no?

4. Gamingboy Posted: November 08, 2009 at 08:25 PM (#3382392)

Preview of the April 12th season opener for the Twins?

No. There will be more snow then.

5. SoSHially Unacceptable Posted: November 08, 2009 at 09:08 PM (#3382410)

I'm all in favor of a baseball picture of the day Gamingboy. Keep 'em coming.

6. OCF Posted: November 08, 2009 at 09:09 PM (#3382411)

My time in Madison was 1977-1981, so a few years before this picture was taken. I do remember at least once walking the straight line path from the Union terrace to the tip of Picnic Point; I assume this picture was taken somewhere in there. It's labeled February and you can see puddles standing on top of the ice and not much snow - so it was a thaw. Maybe it was 45 or 50 degrees at the time - Madison residents react to weather like that in February as if it were a heat wave and one just has to get outside to enjoy the nice weather.

My time in Madison did overlap with the student government regime of the Pail and Shovel Party. What happens if I Google "Lake Mendota Statue of Liberty" - ah, plenty of entries. Such as this.

7. Gamingboy Posted: November 08, 2009 at 09:25 PM (#3382417)

My time in Madison did overlap with the student government regime of the Pail and Shovel Party. What happens if I Google "Lake Mendota Statue of Liberty" - ah, plenty of entries. Such as this.

Jim Mallon, one of the masterminds behind that (according to the lore of American College Pranks, a subject that really should be taught more), later went on to be the Execeutive Producer of Mystery Science Theatre until 1998. (He was also the voice of Gypsy). I think Kevin Murphy (AKA Tom Servo) was also involved in the prank as well.

8. jwb Posted: November 08, 2009 at 10:08 PM (#3382428)

Madison residents react to weather like that in February as if it were a heat wave

Notice the pitcher has his jacket unzipped.

9. BarrettsHiddenBall Posted: November 08, 2009 at 10:56 PM (#3382451)

Wow, the SS and 2B are playing really far back.

10. Into the Void Posted: November 08, 2009 at 11:21 PM (#3382473)

Any babip or pitch f/x data for these games?

11. Joe Bivens, Idiot Posted: November 09, 2009 at 01:05 AM (#3382503)

I stink. Coke to B'sHB.

12. Harveys Wallbangers

Posted: November 09, 2009 at 01:16 AM (#3382505)

OCF:

You attended UW? I always knew I liked you....

13. rLr Is King Of The Romans And Above Grammar Posted: November 09, 2009 at 01:30 AM (#3382507)

You attended UW? I always knew I liked you....

And he has the blood alcohol content to prove it!

14. depletion Posted: November 09, 2009 at 02:19 AM (#3382532)

That isn't the second baseman. The SS is playing near the runner on second. CF is off in the fog, wondering if Mom has the hot chocolate ready.

My "career" at Madison lasted from 9/79 to 12/79.

15. rLr Is King Of The Romans And Above Grammar Posted: November 09, 2009 at 02:24 AM (#3382536)

My "career" at Madison lasted from 9/79 to 12/79.

You're the John Paciorek of higher education.

16. OCF Posted: November 09, 2009 at 02:34 AM (#3382542)

You attended UW? I always knew I liked you....

And he has the blood alcohol content to prove it!

Actually, I don't - geography isn't destiny, not to that extent.

Harveys - it's more complicated than that. I was was never a UW student myself - my wife was. I was a U. of Chicago student with a weekly commute. I did teach at UW for one year at the end of that.

17. Gamingboy Posted: November 09, 2009 at 05:22 AM (#3382629)

I'm all in favor of a baseball picture of the day Gamingboy. Keep 'em coming.

There will be another one tomorrow.

18. Fred Lynn Nolan Ryan Sweeney Agonistes Posted: November 09, 2009 at 07:15 AM (#3382694)

Let's see two!

19. The Keith Law Blog Blah Blah (battlekow) Posted: November 09, 2009 at 08:26 AM (#3382710)

It's interesting that Wisconsin, with the luxury of three profitable sports teams, doesn't sponsor baseball. I'm too young to remember what it was like back when they were forced to drop it (1990), but it's just weird not having a UW baseball team.

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Baseball Picture of the Day: 20th Century Ice Baseball

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