The Skillz Report

The Mysteries Of Baseball: Pain Edition

 

(originally written 6/20/14)

 

 

Pro baseball has existed for about 150 years.

 

Countless historians, and even more "regular" journalists have examined it up and down, from all perspectives. A lot has been documented and/or preserved because of these people. Facts and feats have been unearthed thanks to these people.

 

Statistical errors, such as Ty Cobb's hit total, Hack Wilson's RBI total and Carlton Fisk's games caught total, have been corrected thanks to these people. 

 

Yet, 150 years into its' existence, not all baseball-related questions have definitive answers.

 

Who discovered America's pasttime? Was it Doubleday, or others? (It was Alexander Cartwright. Not Doubleday.) Did Mickey Mantle's homer really travel 565 feet? Did Josh Gibson really smoke one 600 feet?

 

Was Jackie Robinson safe at home, or did Yogi Berra tag him? Did Babe Ruth really "call his shot"? Would the Red Sox have won the '86 Series if Bill Buckner fields that grounder? Would Moises Alou had caught Luis Castillo's foul if not for Bartman and Friends? Did the Rocket intentionally fire that bat at Mike Piazza? How many career jacks would Alex Rodriguez have if not for PED's?

 

Will the Cubs ever win the World Series again? Just how old is El Duque?

 

Those mysteries will likely go unsolved forever.

 

Yet we can still hope for MLB, or those who cover it, to one day answer perhaps the greatest mystery of all. It came to light this week at Tropicana Field, in the form of Rays outfielder David DeJesus.

 

The mystery:

How can a player walk away from something like Video A unscathed......yet break a hand doing Video B the very next day?

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Major League Baseball, get your crack team on this. Mankind may be at stake...