Portal:Baseball/Selected article/Archive
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[edit] Instructions
To archive a Selected Article, add the following markup directly under the Archive header:
===Month Date - Month Date, Year===
{{subst:Portal:Baseball/Selected article/WEEK}}
- Replace header placeholders with the beginning and end date the quote appeared on the main portal page.
- Replace WEEK with the corresponding ISO 8601 week number.
[edit] Archive
[edit] February 21 - March 4, 2007
Nippon Professional Baseball or NPB is the highest level of baseball in Japan. In Japan it is often called Puro Yakyū, meaning Professional Baseball. Outside of Japan, it is often just referred to as "Japanese baseball." The roots of the league can be traced back to the formation of the Greater Japan Tokyo Baseball Club in 1934 and the original Japanese Baseball League. NPB was formed when that league reorganized in 1950.
Nippon Professional Baseball consists of two leagues, the Central League and the Pacific League. There are also two secondary-level professional minor leagues, the Eastern League and the Western League, that play shorter schedules. The season starts in late March or early April and ends in October with two or three all star games in July. In recent decades, the two leagues each scheduled 130, 135 or 140 regular season games with the best teams from each league going on to play in the "Nihon Series" or Japan Series.
Players from the Japan who have gone on to success in North America's Major League Baseball include Hideo Nomo, Kazuhiro Sasaki, Ichiro Suzuki, Akinori Otsuka, Tadahito Iguchi, So Taguchi, Kenji Johjima and Hideki Matsui. (more...)
[edit] March 5 - March 11, 2007
The Gold Glove Award is Major League Baseball's primary defensive award. It is given annually to the player judged to have made the most "superior individual fielding performance" at each defensive position, as voted by the managers and coaches. Separate awards are given for the National and American Leagues.
Baseball glove manufacturer Rawlings awarded the first Gold Gloves in 1957. The trophy consists of a glove made from gold lamé-tanned leather was affixed to a walnut base. 2007 represents the golden anniversary of the Rawlings Gold Glove Award, celebrating 50 years of defense. To commemorate the anniversary, fans will be able to vote for their all-time favorite Gold Glove Award winners for the All-Time Rawlings Gold Glove Team.
Third baseman Brooks Robinson, and pitchers Jim Kaat and Greg Maddux are the most honored players, earning sixteen Gloves apiece. (more...)
[edit] March 12 - March 19, 2007
The Curse of the Colonel refers to an urban legend regarding a reputed curse placed on the Japanese Kansai-based Hanshin Tigers baseball team by deceased KFC founder and mascot Col. Harland Sanders. The curse was said to be placed on the team over the Colonel's anger over treatment of one of his store-front statues.
As is common with sports-related curses, the Curse of the Colonel is used to explain the Japan Championship Series drought that the Hanshin Tigers have had to endure since their first and only victory in the 1985 Japan Championship. The curse is a classic example of a scapegoat.
The Hanshin Tigers are located in Kansai, the second largest metropolitan area in Japan. They are considered the eternal underdogs of Nippon Professional Baseball, in opposition to the Tokyo Giants, who are considered the kings of Japanese baseball. The devotional (or fanatical, from the non-Kansai perspective) fans flock to the stadium no matter how badly the Tigers play in the league. Comparisons are often made between the Hanshin Tigers and the Boston Red Sox, who were also said to be under a curse, the Curse of the Bambino, until they won the World Series in 2004.(more...)
[edit] March 20 - April 2, 2007
Dr Pepper Ballpark is the home ballpark of the Frisco RoughRiders Class AA minor league baseball club. Located in Frisco, Texas U.S., the stadium has a capacity of up to 10,600. The ballpark is host to numerous functions in addition to minor league baseball games, including corporate and charity events, wedding receptions, city of Frisco events, and church services. Local soft drink manufacturer Dr Pepper/Seven Up holds naming rights and exclusive non-alcoholic beverage rights in the park.
Since its opening in 2003, the Dr Pepper Ballpark has won awards and garnered praise for its unique design, feel, and numerous facilities. In his design, park architect David M. Schwarz desired the creation of a village-like "park within a (ball)park". Dr Pepper Ballpark received the 2003 Texas Construction award for Best Architectural Design and was named the best new ballpark in the country by BaseballParks.com.
The design of the Dr Pepper Ballpark was spearheaded by David M. Schwarz. Schwarz had a stated goal of creating a "park within a (ball)park" in the stadium. To achieve this effect, the nine interconnected pavilions, where concessions, restrooms, and luxury suites are located, are built separately from the main seating area. The space between these pavilions allows for improved air flow in the Texas heat; the wind can move through the buildings and is not impeded by their presence. Constructed of fiber cement siding, architectural critics have commented that their layout and material choice enhances the village-like feel of the ballpark, giving it a "coastal Galveston aesthetic".[1] Others have commented that the design is very reminiscent of Churchill Downs in Kentucky. (more...)
