Here’s something that might blow your mind: In 1990, the Royals’ team payroll was $23.2 million … and was the highest payroll in Major League Baseball.

Rob Neyer talking about baseball contracts and payrolls in the wake of Prince Fielder’s $214 million deal with the Tigers.

I’m not sure what’s crazier: that Fielder’s $23.77 million a year average salary is roughly the same as the top team payroll in 1990. Or that the Kansas City Royals had the top payroll in 1990.

Anyone else always read this as “elb” when they were a kid? I thought it was some weird French Canadian way of abbreviating “Expos”. I later heard it’s in fact an “M”, but that they wanted the red part to look like an “e” and the blue part a “b” so that the whole thing could be “Montreal expos baseball”. It will always be “elb” to me.
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Anyone else always read this as “elb” when they were a kid? I thought it was some weird French Canadian way of abbreviating “Expos”.

I later heard it’s in fact an “M”, but that they wanted the red part to look like an “e” and the blue part a “b” so that the whole thing could be “Montreal expos baseball”.

It will always be “elb” to me.

I wasn’t sure how this would be as a movie, but it actually looks pretty good. The story of the game behind the game.

[via kottke]

The 30 Worst Baseball Cards of All Time

I love the Doug Drabek one.

Zero To One

With Garza’s no-hitter today, there have been 5 no-hitters this season. Even crazier is that this is only one fewer than the number of one-hitters this year, apparently. And one of those was Armando Galarraga’s (should-have-been) perfect game.

So it should be 6 no-hitters to 5 one-hitters this year. Crazy.

Baseball In Japan (by MG Siegler)

After a grand slam to put the Giants up 4-1 over the rival Tigers.