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Walt Hriniak
Walter John Hriniak (pronounced RIN-ee-ack) (born May 22, 1943) is an American former catcher in American Major League Baseball who—despite a very brief MLB playing career and a batting average of only .253—became one of the most prominent batting coaches in the game during the last two decades of the 20th century. As a player, he stood tall, weighed , batted left-handed and threw right-handed. He was born in Natick, Massachusetts. Three-sport high school star Hriniak was a three-sport star at Natick High School where he was a first-team All-State selection in all three sports: as quarterback in football, center in hockey, and shortstop in baseball. He was also voted the outstanding hockey player in eastern Massachusetts and some speculated that he could have pursued a career in professional hockey. Instead, he chose baseball and signed a $75,000 bonus contract with the Milwaukee Braves in 1961. Professional baseball playing career Initially a shortstop in the pros, Hrinia ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Catcher
Catcher is a position in baseball and softball. When a batter takes their turn to hit, the catcher crouches behind home plate, in front of the (home) umpire, and receives the ball from the pitcher. In addition to this primary duty, the catcher is also called upon to master many other skills in order to field the position well. The role of the catcher is similar to that of the wicket-keeper in cricket. Positioned behind home plate and facing toward the outfield, the catcher can see the whole field, and is therefore in the best position to direct and lead the other players in a defensive play. The catcher typically calls for pitches using PitchCom, or hand signals. The calls are based on the pitcher's mechanics and strengths, as well as the batter's tendencies and weaknesses. Essentially, the catcher controls what happens during the game when the ball is not "in play". Foul tips, bouncing balls in the dirt, and contact with runners during plays at the plate are all events ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Centre (ice Hockey)
The centre (or center in American English) in ice hockey is a forward (ice hockey), forward position of a player whose primary Hockey rink#Zones, zone of play is the middle of the ice, away from the sideboards. Centres have more flexibility in their positioning and therefore often end up covering more ice surface than any other player. Centres are ideally strong, fast skaters who are able to Checking (ice hockey)#Backchecking, backcheck quickly from deep in the opposing zone. Generally, centres are expected to be gifted passers more so than goal scorers, although there are exceptions - typically larger centres who position themselves directly in front of the net in order to score off rebounds. They are also expected to have exceptional "ice vision", Hockey IQ, intelligence, and creativity. They also generally are the most defensively-oriented forwards on the ice, as they are expected to play the role of the third player in defense, after the defenceman, defencemen. Centres usuall ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Atlanta
Atlanta ( ) is the List of capitals in the United States, capital and List of municipalities in Georgia (U.S. state), most populous city in the U.S. state of Georgia (U.S. state), Georgia. It is the county seat, seat of Fulton County, Georgia, Fulton County and extends into neighboring DeKalb County, Georgia, DeKalb County. With a population of 520,070 (2024 estimate) living within the city limits, Atlanta is the eighth most populous city in the Southeastern United States, Southeast and List of United States cities by population, 36th most populous city in the United States according to the 2020 United States census, 2020 U.S. census. Atlanta is classified as a Globalization and World Cities Research Network#Beta +, Beta + global city and is the principal city of the much larger Atlanta metropolitan area, the core of which includes Cobb County, Georgia, Cobb, Clayton County, Georgia, Clayton and Gwinnett County, Georgia, Gwinnett counties, in addition to Fulton and DeKalb. ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Charley Lau
Charles Richard Lau (April 12, 1933 – March 18, 1984) was an American professional baseball player and a highly influential hitting coach. During his playing career in Major League Baseball, Lau appeared in 527 games as a catcher and pinch hitter over all or portions of 11 seasons for four clubs. Then, beginning in 1969, he spent 15 years as a coach for five American League teams, most notably the Kansas City Royals. He was the incumbent hitting coach of the Chicago White Sox when he died, aged 50, from colorectal cancer in 1984. Early life Lau was born on April 12, 1933, in Romulus, Michigan, in the Metro Detroit region. He attended Romulus Senior High School, where he was a standout in baseball, basketball and football. He was originally an outfielder in baseball, but switched to catching, with a three year .450 batting average. Lau was also a star halfback on the football team. The University of Michigan awarded him a combined football-baseball scholarship. In 1952, he wa ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Shreveport-Bossier Captains
The Shreveport–Bossier Captains were a professional baseball team based in Shreveport, Louisiana, in the United States. Following the 2011 season, the team was sold to new ownership and moved to Laredo, Texas, to continue play as the Laredo Lemurs. The Captains were a member of the South Division of the American Association of Independent Professional Baseball, which was not affiliated with Major League Baseball at the time. From the 2003 season to the 2011 season, the Captains played their home games at Shreveport's Fair Grounds Field. The latest incarnation of the Captains was founded in 2003 as the Shreveport–Bossier Sports, after the Class-AA Texas League Shreveport Swamp Dragons moved to Frisco, Texas, to become the RoughRiders. On January 8, 2009, the Captains unveiled their new name (themed as a pirate captain rather than a tribute to Captain Henry Miller Shreve, the founder of Shreveport), logo, and color scheme; unlike prior teams, this incarnation of the Capta ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Utility (baseball)
In baseball, a utility player or utility man is a player who has the ability to play more than one position in the field and is primarily used as a substitute. The term super utility player may be used to refer to a player who can play all or most positions, or a player who regularly appears in the starting lineup at different positions. Description Utility infielders typically play both second base and shortstop, sometimes also third base, and more rarely first base. A "fourth outfielder" is likewise an outfielder who can play all three outfield positions but does not have the hitting skills to be a starting player. Some utility players have the defensive ability to play in both the infield and outfield—recent players in Major League Baseball (MLB) fitting this description include Marwin González, Brock Holt, Cory Spangenberg, and Ben Zobrist. Playing time for fourth outfielders has been called "erratic and unpredictable". Often, fourth outfielders are outfield prospects who ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
The Associated Press
The Associated Press (AP) is an American not-for-profit news agency headquartered in New York City. Founded in 1846, it operates as a cooperative, unincorporated association, and produces news reports that are distributed to its members, major U.S. daily newspapers and radio and television broadcasters. Since the award was established in 1917, the AP has earned 59 Pulitzer Prizes, including 36 for photography. The AP is also known for its widely used ''AP Stylebook'', its AP polls tracking NCAA sports, sponsoring the National Football League's annual awards, and its election polls and results during US elections. By 2016, news collected by the AP was published and republished by more than 1,300 newspapers and broadcasters. The AP operates 235 news bureaus in 94 countries, and publishes in English, Spanish, and Arabic. It also operates the AP Radio Network, which provides twice hourly newscasts and daily sportscasts for broadcast and satellite radio and television stations. M ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Pitcher
In baseball, the pitcher is the player who throws ("Pitch (baseball), pitches") the Baseball (ball), baseball from the pitcher's mound toward the catcher to begin each play, with the goal of out (baseball), retiring a batter (baseball), batter, who attempts to either make contact with the pitched ball or draw a base on balls, walk. In the numbering system used to record defensive plays, the pitcher is assigned the number 1. The pitcher is often considered the most important player on the defensive side of the game, and as such is situated at the right end of the defensive spectrum. There are many different types of pitchers, such as the starting pitcher, relief pitcher, middle reliever, left-handed specialist, lefty specialist, setup man, and the closing pitcher, closer. Traditionally, the pitcher also bats. Starting in 1973 with the American League and spreading to further leagues throughout the 1980s and 1990s, the hitting duties of the pitcher have generally been given over t ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Texas League
The Texas League is a Minor League Baseball league which has operated in the South Central United States since 1902. It is classified as a Double-A league. Despite the league's name, only its five South Division teams are actually based in the state of Texas; the five North Division teams are located in Arkansas, Kansas, Missouri, and Oklahoma. The league temporarily operated for the 2021 season as Double-A Central before reassuming its original moniker in 2022. The Texas League was founded in 1902, although it traces its lineage back to a predecessor founded in 1888. History 20th century The league was founded in 1888 and ran through 1892. It was refounded in 1895 and ran through 1899 (under the name Texas Association in 1895 and Texas-Southern League in 1896). The Texas League was revived as a Class D league in 1902, moved to Class C in 1904 where it played through 1910 (except for 1906 as Class D again), played at Class B until 1920, and finally moved up to Class A in ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Double-A (baseball)
Double-A (officially Class AA) is the second-highest level of play in Minor League Baseball in the United States since 1946, below only Triple-A (baseball), Triple-A. There are currently 30 teams classified at the Double-A level, one for each team in Major League Baseball, organized into three leagues: the Eastern League (1938–2020), Eastern League, the Southern League (1964–2020), Southern League, and the Texas League. History Class AA ("Double-A") was established in 1912, as the new highest classification of Minor League Baseball. Previously, Class A (baseball), Class A had been the highest level, predating the establishment of the National Association of Professional Baseball Leagues—the formal name of Minor League Baseball—in 1901. Entering the 1912 season, three leagues were designated as Class AA: * American Association (20th century), American Association (AA) * International League (IL) * Pacific Coast League (PCL) Each of these leagues had previously been in Cl ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Austin Senators
The "Austin Senators" is the name of various minor league baseball teams based in Austin, Texas, United States which played on-and-off between 1898 and 1964. Different incarnations of the Senators have played in the Texas League (1888–1890, 1905, 1907–1908, 1911–1914, 1956–1967), Texas-Southern League (1896), South Texas League (1906) Middle Texas League (1915) and Texas Association (1925–1926). History In 1915, the Senators moved to the Middle Texas League and won two games as the Austin Representatives before relocating to Taylor, Texas due to severe flooding. They were known as the Austin Rangers playing in the Texas Association from 1925 to 1926). From 1956 to 1967 they were affiliated with the Atlanta Braves, Milwaukee/Atlanta Braves. For the final three seasons of their existence, they were known as the "Austin Braves." After the 1967 season, the team relocated to Shreveport, Louisiana, depriving Austin of professional baseball for the rest of the 20th century. Over ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Milwaukee Braves (1953–69)
The Milwaukee Braves were a Major League Baseball club that played in Milwaukee, Wisconsin, from 1953 to 1965, having previously played in Boston, Massachusetts, as the Boston Braves. After relocating to Atlanta, Georgia, in 1966 they were renamed the Atlanta Braves.The 13-season tenure in Milwaukee at Milwaukee County Stadium saw varying degrees of success for the franchise, winning the 1957 World Series and the National League pennant in . The team never finished with a losing record. The Milwaukee Braves had an overall win–loss record of during their 13 years in Milwaukee. Three former Milwaukee Braves players were elected to the National Baseball Hall of Fame. History Relocation from Boston Construction began on Milwaukee County Stadium in 1950 in hopes of both luring a Major League baseball team, as well as the Green Bay Packers of the National Football League. The minor league Milwaukee Brewers were scheduled to begin play at the start of the 1953 season. However, in th ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
