Link Banana

Perhaps everyone else knows about this stuff, but in reading this article from Smithsonian I was really surprised to learn all the tools that MLB groundskeepers have that they can use to help their team.

Grandfather Emil, who became known as the “evil genius of groundskeepers,” was a whiz at what is euphemistically called maximizing the home field advantage. Over time he honed several techniques, including tilting base lines in or out so balls rolled fair or foul, digging up or tamping down base paths to prevent or abet stealing, leaving grass long or clipping it short to slow or speed grounders. He also moved the outfield fences back 12 to 15 feet to stymie the home-run-slugging Yankees. By and large, his tricks were employed selectively to bolster home team strengths and take advantage of opponent teams’ weaknesses.

I love titles that write themselves. The substance:

Japanese television used to broadcast domestic games almost every day, and high-school tournaments still fixate the nation. But in recent years the Americans have lured Japan’s best players with fat salaries; 17 now play in MLB, including two pitchers for the Red Sox. American games attract huge television audiences, pushing aside domestic teams. Sales of merchandise jump when American clubs sign Japanese players. MLB’s revenue in Japan, $100m last year, now accounts for 60% of its income outside America. Japan risks becoming a mere farm-team and fan base for America, frets Masaru Ikei, a professor at Keio University and author of “Baseball and the Japanese People”.