Baseball: Difference between revisions

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* The '''Most Valuable Player Award (MVP)''' is given to the player in each league who is considered to have been most valuable to his team. There are no restrictions on who can be named Most Valuable Player, but it almost always goes to a player from a team who made the playoffs or came very close. Pitchers are eligible for the award, but seldom win it; many baseball writers believe pitchers shouldn't win it because they have their own award, while others simply don't feel that a single pitcher can ever be as valuable as someone who plays every day. Justin Verlander's MVP win in 2011 was the first time a pitcher won that award since Dennis Eckersley in 1992, and the first win by a starting pitcher since Roger Clemens in 1986.

* The '''Cy Young Award''' is given to each league's best pitcher. Starting pitchers and relief pitchers are both eligible, but the award almost always goes to a starter. The last reliever to win the Cy Young is Eric Gagne of the Dodgers in 2003; the last AL reliever to win is Dennis Eckersley of the Oakland Athletics in 1992. Yes, it was the same year he won the MVP. Yes, he was ''that'' good.

* The '''Rookie of the Year Award''' is given to the rookie in each league who is considered to have had the best season. Though a rookie is generally defined as a first-year player, he doesn't necessarily have to be. As long as the player enters the current season without having exceeded 130 Major League at-bats, 50 innings pitched, or 45 days spent on a Major League team's roster, he is considered to be in his rookie season. Experience in leagues besides the MLB is not counted against a player, which has caused some controversy since beginning with Hideo Nomo in 1995, several Japanese-born players won the award despite having prior professional experience in Japanese baseball. It was renamed the Jackie Robinson Award in [[The Eighties~~|the eighties~~]] to commemorate one of its most famous winners. Robinson was also the first recipient of the award. The official name is rarely used, however.

* The '''Rookie of the Year Award''' is given to the rookie in each league who is considered to have had the best season. Though a rookie is generally defined as a first-year player, he doesn't necessarily have to be. As long as the player enters the current season without having exceeded 130 Major League at-bats, 50 innings pitched, or 45 days spent on a Major League team's roster, he is considered to be in his rookie season. Experience in leagues besides the MLB is not counted against a player, which has caused some controversy since beginning with Hideo Nomo in 1995, several Japanese-born players won the award despite having prior professional experience in Japanese baseball. It was renamed the Jackie Robinson Award in [[The Eighties]] to commemorate one of its most famous winners. Robinson was also the first recipient of the award. The official name is rarely used, however.

* The '''Manager of the Year Award''' is awarded to one manager in each league. There are no specific guidelines for who can win, but the award typically goes to the manager of a team who achieved surprising success, usually a team that was expected to finish low in the standings but ended up competing for a title.

* The '''Gold Glove Award''' goes to the top defensive players in the game. Unlike the above awards, they are voted on by the managers and coaches in each league as opposed to the baseball writers. Each league awards nine Gold Gloves, one at each fielding position. Since fielding excellence tends to be measured by a lot of intangibles rather than pure statistics, the Gold Gloves frequently spark debate; the most common criticism of the award process is that they are often awarded based on reputation, without regard as to whether the player truly had a better year in the field than his peers.

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* '''Satchel Paige''' is widely considered one of the greatest pitchers ever. Unfortunately, he was also black, which meant he couldn't play in the Majors until 1948, when he was in his 40s. He was still pretty good at this age, though, considering his team was the first integrated team to win the World Series. Was coaxed out of retirement to pitch one game at 59 (not a misprint), went three scoreless innings in a [[Crowning Moment of Awesome]]. Well-known for pithy sayings, the most famous being "Don't look back, something might be gaining on you."

* '''Ted Williams''' is one of the best hitters in history, and was the last person to have a batting average (hits divided by at-bats) of over .400 in a season, batting .406 in 1941. (No player since 2000 has hit over .372.) Took time off in the prime of his career to serve as a pilot in both World War II and the Korean War. Well loved in Boston (where he played) and San Diego (where he was from), and there are highways named for him in both cities. After he died in 2002, he received a lot of media attention over the bizarre battle that took place within his surviving family; his son and daughter claimed that the three of them were to be cryogenically frozen together. At Fenway Park, there is a single seat in the right field bleachers painted red to mark the landing spot of one of his home runs, the longest in the park's history. The home run ball actually hit the guy sitting in the seat while he was taking a nap, and broke his straw hat. Hit a home run in the last at-bat of his career. Oh yeah, and he had his incredible career while serving his country ''twice'' (WWII & Korea).

* '''Yogi Berra''' was the catcher on the Yankees' solid teams of the '40s and '50s, but today he is mostly known was one of the funniest [[Cloudcuckoolander|Cloudcuckoolanders]] ever. He was once complimented by a female reporter: "You look cool out there, Yogi." "Thanks, you don't look so hot yourself!" There are many other examples. Yogi also enjoyed some success as a manager, leading the 1964 Yankees and 1973 Mets to the World Series (though both teams lost). [[Captain Obvious|You can probably guess]] [[Yogi Bear ~~(Animation)~~|which cartoon character is named after him]].

* '''Yogi Berra''' was the catcher on the Yankees' solid teams of the '40s and '50s, but today he is mostly known was one of the funniest [[Cloudcuckoolander|Cloudcuckoolanders]] ever. He was once complimented by a female reporter: "You look cool out there, Yogi." "Thanks, you don't look so hot yourself!" There are many other examples. Yogi also enjoyed some success as a manager, leading the 1964 Yankees and 1973 Mets to the World Series (though both teams lost). [[Captain Obvious|You can probably guess]] [[Yogi Bear|which cartoon character is named after him]].

* '''Roger Clemens''' pioneered the modern concept of the "power pitcher" with the Red Sox in the 1980s. Nicknamed "The Rocket", Clemens threw harder than almost anyone else at the time, and had a dominant, macho personality that intimidated hitters and made him almost synonymous with Boston at the time. Clemens set a then-record in 1986 by striking out 20 batters in one game and very nearly won Boston the infamous "Game Six" of the World Series that year. Clemens has won a total of seven Cy Young awards in his career, a record for any pitcher. Unfortunately, his personality translated into a long, long, ''long'' record of [[Jerkass]] behavior over the years that tarnished the public's perception of his career more and more. Split acrimoniously from the Red Sox in 1996 and went on to play for the Blue Jays, Yankees and Astros, winning two World Series with the Yankees. Opinions vary of the man, but these days he is almost universally despised in Boston. Currently under investigation for lying under oath to Congress about using illegal performance enhancing drugs.

* '''Randy Johnson''', a.k.a., "The Big Unit" (he's 6' 10"/2.08 meters tall) is one of the hardest throwing, most intimidating pitchers in recent history, and is often regarded as the greatest left-handed pitcher ever. He retired with over 300 victories and the second-most strikeouts in baseball history, only behind Nolan Ryan. He is also one of only 20 pitchers to throw a perfect game. He also formed one-half of the pitching duo that ended up winning the Diamondbacks their first World Series in 2001 and also won them co-MVP honors that year.

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* '''Justin Verlander''' of the Detroit Tigers is another candidate for best pitcher in the game. Playing for the Detroit Tigers, he pretty much walked away with the American League Cy Young by winning the Pitching Triple Crown: most wins (24), strikeouts (250) and lowest ERA (2.4). He was instrumental in the Tigers running away with the American League Central division title. There is serious debate on whether or not he deserves the American League MVP award, which is seldom awarded to a pitcher because of strong feelings that it should go to an everyday player, and not one who plays every four or five days.

* '''Armando Galaragga''' became famous for his perfect game for the Detroit Tigers which was tarnished by a bad call by umpire Jim Joyce, who tearfully apologized, leading to an [[Unlikely Friendship]] between the two. He later traded to the Arizona Diamondbacks where he seemed to [[Took a Level In Jerkass|take a level in jerkass]] and hasn't been heard from since being demoted to their Triple-A affliate in Reno. He has, however, opted to enter Free Agency once the World Series is over.

* '''Manny Ramirez''', over the course of his career, has been one of the most dangerous hitters in baseball, but also one of baseball's most unpredictable characters. His frequent mental lapses, both on and off the field, have cost his teams a game or two and have been referred to as "Manny being Manny". Most controversially, in the latter part of his career, he acquired a reputation for playing outstanding baseball his first few months with a new team, but at some point thereafter wearing out his welcome and resorting to childish outbursts and lackadaisical play until he's shipped off somewhere else. He twice tested positive for performance-enhancing drugs; after the second test, he chose to retire rather than face a 100-game suspension. [[Ten Minute Retirement|Or not.]] He requested a reinstatement, and has since signed with yet another team (the Athletics).

* '''Manny Ramirez''', over the course of his career, has been one of the most dangerous hitters in baseball, but also one of baseball's most unpredictable characters. His frequent mental lapses, both on and off the field, have cost his teams a game or two and have been referred to as "Manny being Manny". Most controversially, in the latter part of his career, he acquired a reputation for playing outstanding baseball his first few months with a new team, but at some point thereafter wearing out his welcome and resorting to childish outbursts and lackadaisical play until he's shipped off somewhere else. He twice tested positive for performance-enhancing drugs; after the second test, he chose to retire rather than face a 100-game suspension. [[Ten-Minute Retirement|Or not.]] He requested a reinstatement, and has since signed with yet another team (the Athletics).

* '''Chipper Jones''' is typically considered the best switch-hitter in the game and one of the best of all-time. He has spent his entire career playing with the Atlanta Braves, at one point even re-working his contract with them so they would have more money to spend on other players. However, he was never that great of a power-hitter, despite consistently putting up solid numbers over the past decade and a half. Given that he was hitting in the era of players such as Bonds, McGuire and later Pujols, he's basically a case of [[Overshadowed By Awesome]]. He plans to retire at the end of the 2012 season.

* '''Chipper Jones''' is typically considered the best switch-hitter in the game and one of the best of all-time. He has spent his entire career playing with the Atlanta Braves, at one point even re-working his contract with them so they would have more money to spend on other players. However, he was never that great of a power-hitter, despite consistently putting up solid numbers over the past decade and a half. Given that he was hitting in the era of players such as Bonds, McGuire and later Pujols, he's basically a case of [[Overshadowed by Awesome]]. He plans to retire at the end of the 2012 season.

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* The '''Detroit Tigers''' are one of the charter American League teams. Historically, they've alternated between periods of brilliance and long dry spells of non-contention. After enduring one such dry spell for over two decades following their 1984 World Series championship (which included losing ''119 games'' in 2003, one shy of tying the Major League record for losses in 162 games), the Tigers came out of nowhere in 2006 to reach the Fall Classic again (only to get unexpectedly and swiftly defeated by the Cardinals). However, high expectations in ensuing seasons failed to bear fruit; in 2009, the team suffered one of the worst collapses in baseball history, losing a three game division lead with only four games to play. The Tigers seem to have redeemed themselves, however, in 2011, reaching the ALCS with an excellent offense and one of the best pitching rotations in AL history (headed by the aforementioned Justin Verlander, with Jose "Papa Grande" Valverde serving as an absolute top-notch closer). The Tigers have boasted several Hall of Famers in their history, including Ty Cobb and Sam Crawford in the 1900s and '10s, Hank Greenberg (the majors' first Jewish-American star) and Charlie Gehringer in the '30s and '40s, and Al Kaline in the '50s and '60s. Another Tiger Hall of Famer is the late broadcaster Ernie Harwell, who called the team's games for over 40 years and was basically the AL counterpart to Vin Scully.

* The '''Kansas City Royals''' are the American League's equivalent of the Pirates, albeit without most of the history and with a management team that seems to give a crap. The franchise did enjoy some glory years in the late 1970s and early '80s (winning several division titles, two AL pennants in 1980 and 1985, and the 1985 World Series, and boasting eventual Hall of Famer George Brett at third base) before sliding into perennial non-contention in the ensuing decades. Their stadium, which features a fountain just beyond the center field fence, is regarded as one of the nicest in baseball. (And just to clarify, they play in Missouri, not Kansas.)

* The '''Los Angeles Angels of Anaheim''': The other team in Greater Los Angeles area. Formerly known as the California Angels. They spent most of their history as the [[Butt Monkey]] of the area living in the shadow of the more popular and successful Dodgers and being a a place where past their prime players spent their final years. From its inception 1961 until his death in 1998, the team was owned by Gene Autry, a famous [[The Western|Western film]] actor and singer. In the late '90s, the team was bought by [[Disney]] (which had begun to pour money into the club earlier in the decade, starting with the production of a remake of ''[[Angels in ~~The~~ Outfield]]'' focused on the Angels instead of the Pirates). Upon the company's acquisition of the franchise, they changed the name to the Anaheim Angels and made the team one of the Dominant teams in the American League West, eventually winning their first (and so far only) World Series title in 2002. In 2004 Disney would eventually sell the team. The new owners decided to rename the team the Los Angeles Angels for marketing purposes, but because the team's contract with Anaheim contained a stipulation that "Anaheim" had to be part of the team name, this led to the rather cumbersome moniker "The Los Angeles Angels of Anaheim"; much to Anaheim's (and the city the team borrowed without domicile, Los Angeles') dismay, there [[Aint No Rule|isn't a rule]] about two cities being used in a team's name. As a [[Bilingual Bonus]], Los Angeles ''means'' 'The Angels' in Spanish, so the name is effectively "[[Department of Redundancy Department|The The Angels Angels of Anaheim]]". Angels' fans are noted for using Thunder Sticks, and being generally loud and enthusiastic (although the "leave early to beat traffic" thing still does occur every once and awhile). The team's mascot is the Rally Monkey (a capuchin monkey dressed in team apparel whose appearances are usually on videotape) who made his debut during the 2002 title run. Their biggest rivals are the Oakland Athletics, though they also have a strong inter-league rivalry with the Dodgers.

* The '''Los Angeles Angels of Anaheim''': The other team in Greater Los Angeles area. Formerly known as the California Angels. They spent most of their history as the [[Butt Monkey]] of the area living in the shadow of the more popular and successful Dodgers and being a a place where past their prime players spent their final years. From its inception 1961 until his death in 1998, the team was owned by Gene Autry, a famous [[The Western|Western film]] actor and singer. In the late '90s, the team was bought by [[Disney]] (which had begun to pour money into the club earlier in the decade, starting with the production of a remake of ''[[Angels in the Outfield]]'' focused on the Angels instead of the Pirates). Upon the company's acquisition of the franchise, they changed the name to the Anaheim Angels and made the team one of the Dominant teams in the American League West, eventually winning their first (and so far only) World Series title in 2002. In 2004 Disney would eventually sell the team. The new owners decided to rename the team the Los Angeles Angels for marketing purposes, but because the team's contract with Anaheim contained a stipulation that "Anaheim" had to be part of the team name, this led to the rather cumbersome moniker "The Los Angeles Angels of Anaheim"; much to Anaheim's (and the city the team borrowed without domicile, Los Angeles') dismay, there [[Aint No Rule|isn't a rule]] about two cities being used in a team's name. As a [[Bilingual Bonus]], Los Angeles ''means'' 'The Angels' in Spanish, so the name is effectively "[[Department of Redundancy Department|The The Angels Angels of Anaheim]]". Angels' fans are noted for using Thunder Sticks, and being generally loud and enthusiastic (although the "leave early to beat traffic" thing still does occur every once and awhile). The team's mascot is the Rally Monkey (a capuchin monkey dressed in team apparel whose appearances are usually on videotape) who made his debut during the 2002 title run. Their biggest rivals are the Oakland Athletics, though they also have a strong inter-league rivalry with the Dodgers.

* The '''Minnesota Twins''': Originally the Washington Senators and one of the original eight American League teams, the Twins (who had lost a World Series in 1965) won the World Series in 1987 and 1991 before entering a bad stretch that saw them nearly be disbanded (along with the Montreal Expos). The only thing that kept them from being contracted was the lease they had with the city of Minneapolis. Then, go figure, they started winning, and have become a perennial threat in the AL Central during the 2000s (although success in the playoffs has been harder to come by). A common compliment said about the Twins is their seemingly bottomless farm system, which has allowed them to remain reasonably competitive even as star players leave town for big city riches. They are also often called "scrappy", with a habit of climbing back into things when least expected that led White Sox manager Ozzie Guillen to call them "The Piranhas," as their team at the time did not have one single "slugger" but a lot of "little" players chipping away at the edges.

{{quote| "All those piranhas -- blooper here, blooper here, beat out a ground ball, hit a home run, they're up by four. They get up by four with that bullpen? See you at the national anthem tomorrow. When I sit down and look at the lineup, give me the New York Yankees. Give me those guys because they've got holes. You can pitch around them, you can pitch to them. These little guys? Castillo and all of them? People worry about the catcher, what's his name, Mauer? Fine, yeah, a good hitter, but worry about the little [guys], they're on base all the time." }}

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* The '''St. Louis Cardinals''': Current defending champs. The most successful team in the National League during the World Series era (11 championships) and by far the most popular "Small Market" franchise, the Cardinals are noted for their highly-devoted and [[Viewers Are Geniuses|highly-knowledgable]] fanbase (it is not uncommon for them to applaud the opposing team or one of their players should they do something impressive), [[Memetic Badass|Albert Pujols]] and their rivalry with the City of Chicago in general and the Chicago Cubs in particular (it is said that the ''only'' way you can get booed in Busch Stadium is if you are wearing a Chicago jersey - just ask [[Barack Obama]]). Their fanbase is not only incredibly devoted, but incredibly ''nice'' - see the booing example above. Three Hall of Fame broadcasters were once employed by the Cardinals: Harry Caray (who spent 25 years in St. Louis before moving to Chicago), catcher-turned-announcer Joe Garagiola, and Jack Buck. (Jack's son Joe is the current main broadcaster of both MLB and the NFL for Fox.)

* The '''San Diego Padres''' are close runners-up to the Houston Astros for the title of "ugliest uniforms in baseball" thanks to their earwax-colored digs during the 70s and 80s and their occasional inexplicable camouflage jerseys today (yes, they're to honor the military, but still). The Padres typically field good but not great teams, and few players get much in the way of national attention due to the team's small market and offense-unfriendly stadium. They've reached the World Series twice, but lost both times. The only players to really achieve superstardom with the Padres are Hall-of-Famer Tony Gwynn, and closer Trevor Hoffman, who looks likely to join the Hall as soon as he is eligible. Known for odd public address-related incidents; in the team's very first home game in 1974, the owner grabbed the microphone and apologized to the befuddled crowd for the team's poor performance. Later, in 1990, they got Roseanne Arnold to sing the National Anthem for some reason, and she delivered a deliberately horrible rendition that briefly irritated the entire country. And their long-time radio announcer, Jerry Coleman, is well known for frequently saying things that just plain don't make any sense ("It's a high sky out there, and that can get you in trouble if you get caught in the middle of it."). Also known for their former mascot, the San Diego Chicken, who is the reason most teams have annoying mascots today.

* The '''San Francisco Giants''': Another of the [[Older Than Radio|classic]] NL teams, with roots going back to 1883. Most of their first seven decades were spent in [[Big Applesauce|New York]] at the oddly-shaped Polo Grounds in Harlem, where they enjoyed a three-cornered rivalry with the [[The Rival|(hated)]] Brooklyn Dodgers and the New York Yankees (whom they faced in six World Series). The team's luster began to fade in the mid-1950s due to mediocre play and a crumbling stadium, but as luck would have it the [[Arch Enemy|(hated)]] Dodgers were moving to sunny California and needed a travel buddy! And so in 1958 they relocated to San Francisco, where they've been ever since. From 1960 to 2000 they played in [[I'm Cold... So Cold...|frigid, windy]] Candlestick Park, where (supposedly) a pitcher was blown off the mound during the 1961 All-Star Game, and (definitely) Game 3 of the 1989 World Series was interrupted by the Loma Prieta earthquake. After flirting with moves to [[Silicon Valley]] and St. Petersburg, Florida they traded up to spiffy new [[Product Placement|Pac Bell]] (now AT&T) Park in 2000 (with its rapidly-becoming infamous [[Alien Geometries|Triples Alley]] and its constantly-changing name). The Giants have a proud pedigree of Hall of Fame players - including Carl Hubbell and Mel Ott from before the move, and Willie Mays, Willie [[Mc Covey]] and Juan Marichal after - but they hadn't won a World Series since 1954 (putting them in front of only the Indians [1948] and Cubs [1908] in that respect). That is, of course, until 2010. Backed by a sterling pitching staff headed by two-time Cy Young Award-winning pitcher Tim Lincecum and closer Brian "The Beard" Wilson (no, not [[The Beach Boys|that one]]), along with a starting lineup composed largely of [[Ragtag Bunch of Misfits|other teams' castoffs]], they managed to [[Miracle Rally|overcome a big late-season deficit]] to beat the San Diego Padres for the NL West title, then squeaked by the Atlanta Braves in a tight, pitching-dominated Division Series, upset the heavily favored Philadelphia Phillies in the League Championship Series, and finally dominated the Texas Rangers in the World Series to bring the city of San Francisco its first ever World Series champion. But even when the team isn't going well, the garlic fries are tasty, the farm system is strong, Hall of Fame announcer Jon Miller does the radio broadcasts, Kruk and Kuip keep the TV broadcasts fun, and there's always the [[Kill It ~~With~~ Fire|(hated)]] Dodgers to hate.

* The '''San Francisco Giants''': Another of the [[Older Than Radio|classic]] NL teams, with roots going back to 1883. Most of their first seven decades were spent in [[Big Applesauce|New York]] at the oddly-shaped Polo Grounds in Harlem, where they enjoyed a three-cornered rivalry with the [[The Rival|(hated)]] Brooklyn Dodgers and the New York Yankees (whom they faced in six World Series). The team's luster began to fade in the mid-1950s due to mediocre play and a crumbling stadium, but as luck would have it the [[Arch Enemy|(hated)]] Dodgers were moving to sunny California and needed a travel buddy! And so in 1958 they relocated to San Francisco, where they've been ever since. From 1960 to 2000 they played in [[I'm Cold... So Cold...|frigid, windy]] Candlestick Park, where (supposedly) a pitcher was blown off the mound during the 1961 All-Star Game, and (definitely) Game 3 of the 1989 World Series was interrupted by the Loma Prieta earthquake. After flirting with moves to [[Silicon Valley]] and St. Petersburg, Florida they traded up to spiffy new [[Product Placement|Pac Bell]] (now AT&T) Park in 2000 (with its rapidly-becoming infamous [[Alien Geometries|Triples Alley]] and its constantly-changing name). The Giants have a proud pedigree of Hall of Fame players - including Carl Hubbell and Mel Ott from before the move, and Willie Mays, Willie [[Mc Covey]] and Juan Marichal after - but they hadn't won a World Series since 1954 (putting them in front of only the Indians [1948] and Cubs [1908] in that respect). That is, of course, until 2010. Backed by a sterling pitching staff headed by two-time Cy Young Award-winning pitcher Tim Lincecum and closer Brian "The Beard" Wilson (no, not [[The Beach Boys|that one]]), along with a starting lineup composed largely of [[Ragtag Bunch of Misfits|other teams' castoffs]], they managed to [[Miracle Rally|overcome a big late-season deficit]] to beat the San Diego Padres for the NL West title, then squeaked by the Atlanta Braves in a tight, pitching-dominated Division Series, upset the heavily favored Philadelphia Phillies in the League Championship Series, and finally dominated the Texas Rangers in the World Series to bring the city of San Francisco its first ever World Series champion. But even when the team isn't going well, the garlic fries are tasty, the farm system is strong, Hall of Fame announcer Jon Miller does the radio broadcasts, Kruk and Kuip keep the TV broadcasts fun, and there's always the [[Kill It with Fire|(hated)]] Dodgers to hate.

** The Giants have also won the most games out of any baseball team, and possibly the most games of any professional sports team in North America.

* The '''Montreal Expos / Washington Nationals''': Founded in 1969, they are arguably [[The Chew Toy]] of Major League Baseball. Sure, the Phillies have accumulated more than 10,000 losses, the Cubs have a century-long championship drought, the Red Sox spent decades always losing to their hated rival, the Pirates haven't had a winning season since the ''first'' George Bush was president, the Rangers didn't win a playoff series for 50 years, and the Mets have to share a city with the Yankees, but all those teams have bright spots in their history as well. The Expos almost had one; they were leading their division in August 1994 and were considered a legitimate threat to win it all that year, only for the season to be cancelled by a strike (itself a [[Dork Age]]), leading to the first year without a World Series since 1904. Their owner spent the rest of the decade trading their stars for much cheaper players. This eventually resulted in the team being bought by the league, nearly eliminated altogether, and eventually sold and moved to Washington D.C. The old owner is now doing pretty much the same thing to his new team, the Florida Marlins (see their paragraph above). Oh, and don't confuse them with the Washington Senators - local politicians vow to oppose that name as long as Washington, D.C. [[American Political System|has no vote in Congress]], and the previous Senators baseball club still owns the rights to the name even though they became the Texas Rangers in 1972. As a result of their team's suckage, Washington D.C. is subject to favorite moniker "First in war, first in peace, and last in the National League" (which was true of both Senators teams except with "American" instead of "National").

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Tropes that often come into play in baseball-related works of fiction:

* '''[[Down to ~~The~~ Last Play]]''': Important games in works of media almost always end with a big dramatic play, usually either a home run, a strikeout, or an incredible defensive play (usually a leaping/diving catch or a close play at the plate). You never see a climactic game end with a a routine groundout to shortstop.

* '''[[Down to the Last Play]]''': Important games in works of media almost always end with a big dramatic play, usually either a home run, a strikeout, or an incredible defensive play (usually a leaping/diving catch or a close play at the plate). You never see a climactic game end with a a routine groundout to shortstop.

** The 'down by three with the bases loaded, a full count and one out to go' is a popular setup for a game-winning grand slam. (This has been done once in the majors. ONCE.)

** Recently, on September 27, 2011, all but the full count happened as the Arizona Diamondbacks staged a 10th-inning [[Miracle Rally]] against the Dodgers -- who scored five runs in the top of the inning -- with two outs and nobody on. Ryan Roberts capped off a six-run rally by hitting a walk-off grand slam on the first pitch. The Diamondbacks won this game 7-6.