The 9 Most Interesting, Wacky and Nostalgic Baseball History Web Sites

Yes, folks, step right up and see the now blackened remnant of a hot dog, allegedly eaten by the Bambino, George Herman Babe Ruth. It is just one item in the bizarre collection of baseball relics at Baseballreliquary.org
This is clearly the wackiest baseball history site I've ever seen. While visiting, be sure not to miss these oddities:

The Walter O'Malley Tortilla Photograph, miraculously bearing the image of the former Dodger owner who moved the club from Brooklyn to Los Angeles.

Mother Teresa Autographed Baseballs Photograph, determined to be forgeries by the FBI. (I went to Catholic school, and my guess is that forging Mother Teresa's signature is a mortal sin.)

2. Awesome Animated Representation of Every Pennant Race Back to 1901

Baseballrace.com

Click on any baseball pennant race back to 1901, and this site will produce a a cool animation showing you who was leading on each date from wire to wire, horse race style.

3. Huge Collection of Old Tyme Photos from 19th Century Baseball

New York Public Library A.G. Spalding Collection of Baseball Photos. Very fun look at how the game was played in the 1870's and 1880's, with no gloves, old-fashioned uniforms, early era cleats and stadiums.

These photos from professional baseball date includes a photo of the very first professional baseball team, the 1869 Cincinnati Red Stockings. A history of this team can be found here.

Some of my favorite of these old historical baseball phots from the 19th century are:

Charlie Ferguson, who pitched a no hitter in 1885.

Posed action photo of Arthur Irwin and Tommy McCarthy of the Phildelphia Quakers

Southpaw Charlie Sprague demonstrating the underhand pitching style of the day.

Great pitcher and shortstop John Montgomery Ward who played from 1878-1894.

Photo of one of the greatest second basemen in baseball history, Nap Lajoie, with his dog.

4. Photographic trip back to 1960's and 1970's Major League Baseball

Steve's Baseball Photography

For any fan who grew up in the 60's and 70's, this site is a treasure. These are high quality color photos, many of which appear to be proofs for baseball cards. You'll enjoy browsing through this great collection that includes everyone from the stars like Hank Aaron, Willie McCovey, Pete Rose, and Harmon Killebrew to the obscure like Richie Scheinblum, Don Mincher, Jim McGlothlin, and Jerry McNertney.

5. Stan Musial's Swing Analyzed

chrisoleary.com

If you want to see how the greatest oldtime hitters did it, frame by frame, Chris O'Leary breaks it down. He analyzes video of the swings of Stan Musial, Pete Rose, Sammy Sosa, George Brett, and Greg Luzinski. It's definitely worth a look for a trip down memory lane. There is some scathing commentary. He shows how Luzinski's all upper body swing prevented him from every taking it to the next level as a slugger. Several current players like Manny Ramirez are also included.

6.. Nostalgic How To Photo Sequences of the Greats of the 1960's

Baseballplayamerica

Black and white photos of players from the 1960's demonstrating a variety of baseball skills: Sandy Koufax pitching, Wes Parker scooping up a low throw at first base, and the great Brooks Robinson fielding a slow roller. These unique slices of baseball history help give a glimpse into the little fundamental skills that made the great players special. I especially like the view of Jim Fregosi, showing the old California Angels hats with the halo on the top, worn from 1961-1970. How do I know those were the years? I used this site:

7. Man, what year did the Giants wear those ugly orange uniforms? When did the White Sox make Ralph Garr wear shorts?

Baseball Hall of Fame Uniform Database

Ever wonder what your team's uniform looked like in a particular year? You can find the uniform for every team back to 1900 at this site.

8. Nostalgic look at ballparks with lots of great old photos

ballparktour.com

Be sure to check out some of the defunct stadiums like Baker Bowl in Philadelphia, Ebbets Field in Brooklyn, and the Memorial Coliseum in Los Angeles.

9. A Graphical Historical of Baseball Stats Through History

A Graphical History of Baseball provides graphs by category that show how the game has changed dramatically over the years. For example, click on runs per game to see how low run scoring in the deadball era was replaced by high scoring in the 30's and 40's with a gradual decline into the pitcher's era of the 60's and back up since then. Great way to see baseball history at a glance with the graphs.

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