The Daily Dose/April 29, 2025
By Gaylon Kent – America’s Funniest Guy™
Leading Off
Notes from around the human experience.
TAKE ME OUT TO THE BALLGAME: We go to some effort here not to repeat items, both here and in our popular On This Date’ segment. But there are a few things that get mentioned most years, either because of their historical significance or because we enjoy the item. Today, we are going to talk about an accomplishment in a baseball game played 149 years ago today that falls into the latter category.
Here We Go: April 29, 1876, was a Saturday and the National League was in its first week of play. In fact, the St Louis Browns at Louisville Grays game was, depending on when the other games started, the ninth, tenth, or eleventh game in league history. (To date, over 241,000 major league games have been played.)
Hey, Batter, Batter Swing…But Don’t Hit It To Me: In this game, Louisville’s John Carbine established the major league record for most errors in a game by a first baseman, with five. The record was tied several times in the era, but was never broken and remains the oldest record in the major league record book. We know because years ago we put the work in to find out.
Oh, Jesus H: The record so intrigues us that a few years ago we put some effort into visiting the site in Louisville where the game took place.
Dry, Technical Matter: We would be visiting relatives in Louisville, and Uncle Rudy and I came about as close as you can get to where first base was located.
Hold On To Your Hats: It was easy enough to find they played at the Louisville Baseball Park and where that was located, however we wanted to get as close to where Carbine made five errors as possible, so more work was, thrillingly, needed. Some newspaper research from the time told us the grandstand ran parallel to Hill Street. Now we’re getting somewhere, because now you can reckon where home plate was. From there you walk off 90 feet toward first base and the next thing you know, dream come true, you are standing about as close to where Mr Carbine entered the major league record book as a human could possibly reckon.
The Bottom Line: Yay for us. There is an old saying that a pond evaporates without new water. So it is in life: if you don’t go putting some effort into things that interest you, eventually you’ll shrivel up and wonder where the years went. And, for the record, John Carbine’s major league career lasted seven games. A classic no-hit, no-field player, he was released after posting a .161 batting average and committing ten errors.
Today At The Site
Writing worth reading. Usually.
The Diary of a Nobody – Sparrow goes to a staff meeting at the hospital. Today’s Diary.
We were all set to scram, gloriously early, when Daniel opened his goddamned yap about some BS nobody really cared about and BOOM, there’s 20 minutes you’ll never get back…
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On This Date
Extra, extra, read all about it.
In 1992 – Riots begin in Los Angeles following the acquittal of four police officers charged in the Rodney King beating. The riots began in South Central Los Angeles and spread to other parts of the city, killing 63 and doing over $1 billion in damage. Four officers were acquitted of using excessive force in the beating of King, which had been recorded by a bystander and played on television. The riot lasted three days.
In 1986 – Roger Clemens of the Boston Red Sox establishes a new major league record for most strikeouts in a 9-inning game in 3-1 win over the Seattle Mariners. Clemens struck out 20 batters to break the record of 19 done several times previously. Clemens tied the record in 1986, and it was later equaled by Kerry Wood and Max Scherzer.
In 1989 – Shenandoah is at #1 on Billboard’s country chart – then known as the Hot Country Singles chart – for the first of two consecutive weeks with The Church on Cumberland Road. It was the third of 15 Top 10 country hits for the group and was their first of five #1 country songs. The song also went #1 country in Canada and was Billboard’s 29th biggest country song of the year.
Some Philosophy Crap
The wisdom of the ages. Whatever.
Real freedom is possessed by those who are not anxious to be rich.
Will Durant
The Story of Civilization, Vol. X: Rousseau and Revolution
Answer To The Last Trivia Questions
Knowledge is power.
The 1908 Summer Olympics were originally scheduled for Rome, but were moved when money was needed to pay for cleanup after the eruption of Mount Vesuvius.
Today’s Stumper
Match wits with Gaylon. It’s not that hard.
Who holds the major league record for most strikeouts in an extra-inning game? – Answer next time!
