RenoVous

  In honor of the World Series, I thought we'd focus on American beer in Milwaukee. The first brewery there opened in 1840 by Welsh settlers, primarily Richard Owens.  It was simply called Milwaukee Brewery, and later renamed Lake Brewery. After them came German immigrants who opened the brewing empires we know today, such as Pabst (1844) and Miller (1855). By 1867, that included Jacob Leinenkugel.  They have an on-site brewery at the baseball stadium. In 1895, A. Gettelman Brewing released Milwaukee's Best Beer. The Milwaukee beer tradition is rooted in German heritage, defined by a crisp, clean, malt-forward lager that relied on the Milwaukee River and its ice.

  On this day in 1947, the World Series was broadcast on television for the first time. This year, we're just into the postseason - the Yankees are fighting for a wild card, and the now Los Angeles Dodgers clinched their division. Hopefully, it's not a rematch of this, though that did happen just a couple years ago. In 1947, there were about 44,000 television sets in the US, but the game aired in just four markets - New York, Philadelphia, Albany, and Washington. Bob Stanton announced Game 1 for NBC. Notably, it was Jackie Robinson's first World Series. Radio had higher ratings still, and the cameramen had a lot to learn about sunlight and shadows. By 1955, the World Series was in color.

 Aceball! Our minor league team represents the Arizona Diamondbacks, and we beat the Dodgers team this night. But I went with this topic today as a baseball fan who simply hates preseason football.  When sports bars are airing some pointless game as we're entering the deep end of baseball season.  We've only got these two months before post-season, (and a fight against football then too). My Giants are falling back though, from what felt like a strong start.  We had some back and forth near the top, but now the Padres have pulled ahead.  I will root for them to beat the Dodgers. The Brewers have snatched best team for now, with 74 wins.   Unfortunately, we're at the bottom of the Pacific Coast League West. But it doesn't matter - I'll always love baseball.

 On this day in 1941, Joe DiMaggio extended his hitting streak to 56 games, a record which still stands. The record had previously been 45 games, set by Willie Keeler in 1896-97. Pete Rose came closest in 1978, with 44 games. DiMaggio was an All-Star in each of his 13 seasons. Last night was the 2025 All-Star game, and it ended on a tie - instead of extra innings, we got a home run swing off, and it was a lot of fun!  History was made as the first game to end like that. Kyle Schwarber of the Phillies went 3 for 3 in the final, but didn't rank in the actual derby. That winner was catcher Cal Raleigh from the Mariners. When DiMaggio retired in 1951 he ranked 9th in career homers with 361.  He now sits 87th.

 On this day in 1929, the Cleveland Indians became the first team to play with numbers on the back of their jerseys.  This, of course, would help scorekeepers, broadcasters, and fans identify players on the field. The Yankees were supposed to debut the same day, but their opener was rained out.  Babe Ruth and Lou Gehrig wore 3 and 4 respectively, their position in the batting order. But #42 may be the most famous - yesterday was Jackie Robinson Day and every MLB player wore the number.  It is the only fully retired number in the game. It wasn't until 1960 that names were first put on the back, and it was the Chicago White Sox who debuted.  Today, the Yankees are the only team who do not include names. The longest name in MLB history? Christian Encarnacion-Strand of the Reds.

  Effa Manley was the first woman inducted into the Baseball Hall of Fame, on this day in 2006. She was a sports executive and co-owner of the Newark Eagles in the Negro League. She was a civil rights leader and an advocate for Black ballplayers. Her racial background is uncertain though, and census takers may have been biased in assuming she was African American, being raised by a black stepfather.  She identified as black. The Eagles' first game took place in 1935.  She ran day-to-day operations such as schedules, travel, payroll, contracts, equipment, publicity and promotions.  She was able to get New York City mayor, Fiorello La Guardia, to throw out the first pitch. At this time, most blacks were barred from practicing medicine.  With money raised from the Eagles, the Booker T. Washington Community Hospital was opened, which offered training to black doctors and nurses.  They also raised money for black Elks lodges and other groups that promoted the we...

  On this day in 2001, the Seattle Mariners set a record for most wins in a season, at 116. The number ties with the 1906 Chicago Cubs, but they played 10 less games overall back then. This year, the season ended with the Atlanta Braves in the top, with 104 wins. After the first round, the current postseason bracket is: So we're rooting for the Diamondbacks and Twins currently. Orioles and Braves as well. Division Series starts Saturday!

  That's the hope, but the Athletics are asking for a lot of money from Clark County.  A majority of residents aren't supporting the legislation, which is still in review. The team is currently 18-50, the worst team in baseball.  They also have the lowest payroll in MLB and a history of low game attendance.  There's some question of their ability to pay their portion even if the legislation approves the funding package, not to mention the live entertainment tax. The team's owner, John Fisher, has an estimated net worth of 2.2 billion.  He also owns a Major League Soccer team, the San Jose Earthquakes. I love baseball, and I've never had a problem with the A's, but this is putting a bad taste in a lot of people's mouths, including fans in Oakland who want Fisher out. NV Indy

  Game starts at 10:05 and I'll be listening online. KNBR I have an old shirt that says "Jesus hates the Yankees." ^_^ In other news, Metallica dropped a new song. Being a Bay Area band, they have a long relationship with the Giants. Play Ball!!

  This week's edition is in honor of Black History Month. On this day in 1971, Satchell Paige became the first African American to be nominated for the Baseball Hall of Fame.  He was inducted in August. Joe DiMaggio once called Paige, "the best and fastest pitcher I've ever faced." His fastball was recorded at 98.6 mph, and Paige had many nicknames for his pitch: The Bat Dodger, Thoughtful Stuff, Long Tom, and the Bee Ball. He joined the Major League in 1948, a year after Jackie Robinson broke the color barrier.  He played for the Cleveland Guardians (Indians) and became the oldest rookie, at age 42.  Cleveland won the pennant that year. He retired in 1953 but returned to pitch three games in 1965 for the Kansas City A's, and he became the oldest person to ever play the game, at age 59. Today's Google Doodle brings our attention to Toni Stone, one of the first three women to play professional baseball full-time, and the first to play as a regular in the Negro ...

 Four years ago today I was in San Francisco enjoying a game with my sister. But 81 years ago today, baseball was first televised.  It was the Reds vs. Dodgers in Brooklyn, and it was during the World's Fair where RCA was showing off their new set. The experiment was a success - people became fascinated with the television, particularly for sporting events.  It wasn't until 1946 that regular network broadcasting caught on in America, and it wasn't until the mid-50's that TV's became common in households though. The TV was invented in 1927 by Philo Farnsworth.  In high school he envisioned a system that could transform images into code and move those images along radio waves.  His system captured moving images using a beam of electrons, like a camera.  He transmitted a dollar sign after an investor asked, "When are we going to see some dollars in this thing, Farnsworth?" By 1934 though, it was all about the electronic systems, which rely on a Cathode Ray Tu...