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What is a Split Squad Game? Decoding the Strategy Behind Divided Teams
Introduction:
Ever wondered about those intriguing instances in sports where a team seemingly plays itself? This isn't some bizarre self-matchup; it's a strategic maneuver known as a split-squad game. This in-depth guide will unravel the mystery behind split-squad games, exploring their purpose, benefits, drawbacks, and examples from various sports. We'll dissect the strategy involved, the logistical challenges, and how these games ultimately impact team performance and player development. Get ready to dive deep into the world of split-squad gameplay and discover why it's a valuable tool in the athletic arsenal.
What Exactly is a Split Squad Game?
A split-squad game is a sporting event where a single team is divided into two smaller squads. These squads then play simultaneous games against different opponents, often at different locations. This isn't a common occurrence, especially at the highest levels of professional sports, but it serves a distinct and crucial purpose, predominantly in pre-season training or during less critical phases of a season. Imagine a single baseball team playing two games concurrently – one against a minor league affiliate and another against a rival team. That's a split-squad game in action.
Why Do Teams Utilize Split Squad Games?
The primary reason behind employing split-squad games lies in maximizing player opportunities and optimizing training. Here's a breakdown:
Increased Playing Time: Split squads allow more players to see game action, a crucial factor for developing young talent or providing sufficient game experience to players lower down the roster. In professional sports, every at-bat, every play, carries significance in refining skills and maintaining sharpness.
Evaluation of Players: Split squads offer coaches an invaluable opportunity to evaluate the performance of a wider range of players in competitive situations. This is especially helpful during spring training in baseball or pre-season games in other sports. Coaches can assess players' strengths, weaknesses, and adaptability under game pressure.
Strategic Experimentation: Split squads provide a safe environment for coaches to experiment with different strategies, formations, and player combinations without the high stakes of a regular season game. This allows for risk-taking and the refinement of gameplay plans.
Injury Prevention: By distributing playing time, split squads can help mitigate the risk of player burnout and injury, especially in demanding sports with high physical contact. This preventative approach enhances long-term player health and team longevity.
Development of Depth: These games are perfect for nurturing depth within a team. By regularly including players who might not usually feature in the main squad, it promotes a more cohesive and versatile unit capable of adapting to unforeseen circumstances.
The Drawbacks of Split Squad Games:
While split-squad games offer clear advantages, they aren't without limitations:
Disrupted Team Cohesion: Splitting a team disrupts the usual synergy and chemistry cultivated through consistent gameplay with the same lineup. This lack of continuity can momentarily affect team performance and coordination.
Logistical Challenges: Organizing and managing two simultaneous games presents significant logistical challenges, requiring careful planning concerning travel, staffing, equipment, and scheduling.
Reduced Focus: Players may not be fully invested in a split-squad game if it's not perceived as a high-stakes encounter. This reduced intensity might hinder the effectiveness of the evaluation process.
Inconsistent Opponent Quality: The opposition's quality can vary significantly between the two games, making it difficult to draw accurate comparisons between player performances.
Examples of Split Squad Games Across Different Sports:
Split-squad games are most prevalent in baseball during spring training, allowing teams to evaluate a large roster and provide substantial playing time to all players. However, the concept applies across various sports, albeit less frequently. Basketball, soccer, and even ice hockey might employ a similar strategy in pre-season friendlies or during low-stakes periods of the season.
Conclusion:
Split-squad games, though not a staple of regular season play, remain a valuable tactical tool for coaching staffs. By balancing the benefits of increased playing time, player evaluation, and strategic experimentation against the potential drawbacks of disrupted cohesion and logistical complexities, teams can strategically utilize split-squad games to enhance player development, improve team depth, and refine gameplay strategies. Ultimately, their effective implementation contributes significantly to overall team success.
Article Outline: "What is a Split Squad Game?"
I. Introduction: Hooking the reader and providing an overview.
II. Defining Split Squad Games: A clear and concise explanation.
III. Advantages of Split Squad Games: Detailing the benefits of this strategy.
IV. Disadvantages of Split Squad Games: Exploring the limitations and drawbacks.
V. Real-World Examples: Showcasing examples from various sports.
VI. Conclusion: Summarizing the key takeaways and emphasizing the strategic significance.
Section-by-Section Explanation:
(Each section above corresponds to a major section in the article already written above)
FAQs:
1. Are split-squad games common in professional sports? No, they are more common in pre-season training and less frequently used during the regular season.
2. What sports utilize split-squad games? Baseball is the most prominent, but the concept is applicable to other sports like basketball, soccer, and hockey.
3. What is the primary goal of a split-squad game? To maximize playing time, evaluate players, and experiment with strategies.
4. What are the potential drawbacks of split-squad games? Disrupted team chemistry, logistical challenges, and inconsistent opponent quality.
5. How do split-squad games contribute to player development? They provide more playing time, helping young or less experienced players gain valuable experience.
6. Can split-squad games help prevent injuries? Yes, by distributing playing time and preventing player burnout.
7. Do split-squad games always involve two games of equal importance? Not necessarily; the games can vary in significance depending on the team's goals.
8. How do coaches use data gathered from split-squad games? To assess player performance, refine strategies, and make roster decisions.
9. Are there any ethical considerations related to split-squad games? Mostly related to fair play and ensuring all players receive equal opportunity (though this is less of a concern in pre-season settings).
Related Articles:
1. Spring Training Strategies: Optimizing Player Performance: Discusses various training methods used during spring training, including the role of split-squad games.
2. Player Development in Professional Sports: A Holistic Approach: Explores different aspects of player development, highlighting the contribution of game experience.
3. The Importance of Team Chemistry in Athletic Success: Examines the role of team cohesion and its impact on performance, contrasting this with the potential disruption of split-squad games.
4. Pre-Season Training: Preparing for the Competitive Season: Details the importance of pre-season preparation and how split-squad games fit into the overall plan.
5. Strategic Decision-Making in Sports Coaching: Explores the decision-making processes of coaches and how split-squad games inform these decisions.
6. Evaluating Player Performance: Metrics and Methods: Focuses on different methods used to objectively assess player performance during games and training.
7. Injury Prevention in High-Impact Sports: Discusses injury prevention strategies and the role of managing playing time.
8. Logistical Planning in Professional Sports: A Behind-the-Scenes Look: Explores the challenges of organizing and managing large-scale sporting events, including split-squad games.
9. The Role of Minor League Teams in Player Development: Highlights the function of minor league teams in providing developmental opportunities, often in conjunction with split-squad games.
| what is a split squad game: Baseball's Longest Games Philip J. Lowry, 2010-04-23 Baseball is the only major team sport that doesn't feature a clock, and there's a familiar saying among fans that as long as outs remain, the game can, theoretically, go on forever. Every now and again, it nearly does, as author Phil Lowry demonstrates. The product of more than four decades of research, this book catalogs baseball games from around the world and throughout history that lasted 20 or more innings, stretched five or more hours, or ended after 1:00 am. Lowry also examines probability models to predict how often games of unusual length will occur. |
| what is a split squad game: Away Games Marcos Bretón, José Luis Villegas, 2000 The story of Latino players in the major leagues from the perspective of Miguel Tejada, who overcomes abject poverty to succeed, and also of the many who were discarded along the way. Tejeda was named American League MVP for 2002. |
| what is a split squad game: Cubbing R. Rathbone Leonard, 2010-07-13 Right Now You Are Cubbing Whether you are at Wrigley Field, discussing the baseball team at work, or reading about the Cubs—you are Cubbing. Just thinking about the Cubs—you are Cubbing. Just writing about the Cubs—I am Cubbing, and pleased you have joined me as we go Cubbing. In the 2009 season, the Cubs were in first place by two percentage points on July 31. From the start of Spring Training as related in this book, my Cubbing comments were positive as I was positive about the 2009 season. The first three months I felt that the Cubs any day would pull away from the pack. And when in late July they started making their move, actually being in first place by a percentage point, I just knew they were on their way. As Lou Piniella would say, I really knew. I said “Go, Cubs, Go” to friends and strangers alike. I placed a large placard with a W in a window. And I kept Cubbing for this book with the day-to-day games, other activities, and here and there a remembrance and comment of the Cubs in years gone by—some of them, I’m sure, never before related. And then in Florida, between the second and third innings July 31, a billy goat actually walked on the field and strutted in front of the dugout mocking the Cubs. Was this a renewal of Bill Sianis’ 1945 curse? Could be. Within a week the descent had begun, the Cardinals were flying high, and the Cubs had gone into hibernation. Consider this: The month of July the Cubs won 18 and lost six. Then the goat strolled. The month of August the Cubs lost 17 and won only 11. The Billy Goat Curse of 1945, taking its toll once again. It must be real, really real. How else can you explain happenings such as the black cat strolling in front of Ron Santo in 1969, the Playoff failures of 1984 and 1989, the Bartman incident of 2003, and the more recent collapses, especially the Dodgers’ sweep of the 2008 Playoffs. I have begun to believe. There is no other explanation. The words were uttered thusly by Bill Sianis: “The Cubs no win here no more.“ However, a one hundred-plus year of losing hasn’t deterred Cubbing. So join me. Let’s go Cubbing. —Russ Leonard |
| what is a split squad game: Honus William Hageman, 1996 Honus: The Life and Times of a Baseball Hero is a biographical look at the life and times of the great Honus Wagner. Not many fans know the full story of Honus Wagner, and Wagner himself was largely responsible for the public's ignorance. Being notoriously shy, he declined to talk about himself or baseball to sportswriters of his time. Through thousands of hours of exhaustive research and interviews, plus the help of Wagner's granddaughter, Leslie Blair, author William Hageman was able to get the story of the great baseball legend. |
| what is a split squad game: Broken Bat Single James Thibodeau, 2021-09-03 Broken Bat Single By: James Thibodeau This daily journal tells the story of Dave Nichols, a veteran minor league catcher who finally earns a job in the major leagues when he makes the 1993 National League expansion team in Colorado at an age when most playing careers are ending. In a season full of losses, unexpected gains are made through his chronicling of its highs and lows, however. Nichols' discovery of his talent for writing and the healing effect his son's birth has on his troubled marriage make the season memorable for him, even if play on the field is often forgettable. The book's central message is one of gain arising from loss, which ought to be universally relevant. We all lose more often than we care to, but some of our greatest gains could not have come about without losses. The unique feature of Broken Bat Single is the combination of the historical events of the actual games of the 1993 National League season and the narrator's fictional team. Author James Thibodeau simply hopes readers take pleasure from his words, whether baseball fans or not. |
| what is a split squad game: Cecil Travis of the Washington Senators Rob Kirkpatrick, 2009-03-01 A three-time All-Star, Cecil Travis (1913–2006) was well on his way to a Hall of Fame career when he was drafted for World War II in 1941. When he returned To The game in 1945, after three and a half years in the army, Travis was no longer the dominant player he had been. In the three seasons that followed—the last of his career—only once did Travis play in more than seventy-five games, and his offensive numbers plummeted. Yet his prewar accomplishments were such that he finished his twelve-year career with a .314 batting average, and baseball maven Bill James put Travis atop his list of players most likely to have lost a Hall of Fame career To The war. This biography documents Travis's life and dynamic career. it recounts his childhood years on his family's Riverdale farm in rural Georgia, his demonstration of talent during high school, The beginning of his professional career with the Minor League Chattanooga Lookouts in 1931, his rise with the Washington Senators, The historic 1941 season in which Travis led all of baseball in hits, his time as a soldier, The decline in his play from 1945 to 1947, and his retirement. In an epilogue Cecil Travis comments on his baseball career, The effects of the war, and his life in Riverdale, where he raised livestock on the farm that was his childhood home. |
| what is a split squad game: Letter to My Dad Chucky Quartarolo, 2019-03-08 Kendall Robey has been an also-ran for the Washington Senators’ baseball team. A last-place club with a few bright spots until the club hires a new manager, Dusty Warner. A winner his whole career and determined to keep it that way, he starts wheeling and dealing to make something of a dismal start to the 1966 season. Many additions including an untried rookie Vinnie Quinelli, the son of one of Dusty’s former teammates, make things interesting to say the least. Dusty has Kendall and Vinnie room together and a friendship of nearly twenty years begins. Defeat brings sadness, and winning brings joy, and they experience a plethora of both. |
| what is a split squad game: Windy City World Series I Richard Chabowski, 2012-06 The year 1906 holds special significance for the city of Chicago for a number of reasons, but probably nothing generated as much excitement as the all-Chicago World Series that pitted the White Sox against the Cubs. Upton Sinclair had just written The Jungle, which revealed the inner workings of the city's slaughterhouses. There was also a new central city and county government building rising in the Loop. In considerations of that year, however, it is the city's two baseball teams that probably generate the most attention. More than one hundred years have passed, and we still haven't seen a repeat of the all-Chicago World Series. This history examines the bold moves made by ballclub owners and managers, and puts the significance of baseball in context with this detailed account of the events of 1906. It also introduces Charles Comiskey before the Black Sox scandal as well as Charles Murphy, the feisty, lively owner of the Cubs. The entire season is relived in Windy City World Series I: 1906, White Sox-Cubs. |
| what is a split squad game: Notes of a Baseball Dreamer Robert Mayer, 2003 The author of The Dreams of Ada and I, JFK pens the story of a boy in theBronx who desperately wants to be a major league shortstop; at the end of thebook, at age 53, he still does. |
| what is a split squad game: Chasing the Big Leagues Brett Baker, 2019-04-01 Three years after earning a full-ride baseball scholarship to Ohio State, Golden Jake Standen has burned out. Working as a furniture mover and bouncing between meaningless relationships, he's convinced that his baseball dreams are over. But after the 1994 Major League Baseball strike prematurely ends the season, the playoffs, and even the World Series, Jake is about to get his lucky break. Strike be damned, the owners will have a team for the '95 season, even if they have to open tryouts and spring training to anyone who can hit or throw the ball. After scoring contracts for the Toronto Blue Jays, Jake, his best friend Brian Sloan, and an unlikely cast of new teammates have just six weeks to learn how to play like never before, amid a slowly building crescendo of public curiosity, media scrutiny, and a labor dispute that could put them on the field come Opening Day—or dash their dreams at any minute. Based on the true stories of the 1994–95 replacement players, Chasing the Big Leagues is an exciting novel about shared dreams and competing interests, best friends and second chances, growing up and finding love. |
| what is a split squad game: Johnny Evers Dennis Snelling, 2014-04-22 For more than a century Johnny Evers has been conjoined with Chicago Cubs teammates Frank Chance and Joe Tinker, thanks to eight lines of verse by a New York columnist. Caricatured as a scrawny, sour man who couldn't hit and who owed his fame to that poem, in truth he was the heartbeat of one of the greatest teams of the 20th century and the fiercest competitor this side of Ty Cobb. Evers was at the center of one of baseball's greatest controversies, a chance event that sealed his stardom and stole a pennant from John McGraw and the New York Giants in 1908. Six years later, following reversals and tragedies that resulted in a nervous breakdown, he made a comeback with the Boston Braves and led that team to the most improbable of championships. Spanning the time from his birth in Troy, New York, to his death less than a year after his election to the Hall of Fame, this is the biography of a man who literally wrote the book about playing second base. |
| what is a split squad game: Baseball’s Forgotten Black Heroes Bill Leibforth, 2019-07-09 In 1947, Jackie Robinson changed the game of baseball by becoming the first black player on a modern day major league team. Jackie made history with the Brooklyn Dodgers and this story is about Jackie and the seventeen players who followed him. These Black Heroes challenged the status quo and policies of team owners and were part of the first wave of black players who played on the sixteen major league teams that existed in 1947. It was not until 1959 (three years after Jackie retired) that the last of the sixteen teams added a black player to their roster. |
| what is a split squad game: Shortstop Mike Maloni, 2011-03 Frank Lido was a shortstop from East Longmeadow, Massachusetts, who just received a full athletic scholarship to the University of Texas at Austin. He's thrilled to be there and works extremely hard with his coaches to succeed. His team reaches national championship form. And at the end of the season, Frank signs with the Boston Red Sox. Despite his youth, he is put on the roster and tries to show he is mature enough to play in the big leagues. After patiently sitting on the bench, Frank finally gets his shot. |
| what is a split squad game: Baseball and Richmond W. Harrison Daniel, Scott P. Mayer, 2015-09-16 Early baseball in Richmond, Virginia, was very much about business. The game was a means of promoting Richmond and its various industries and attractions, but it was plagued by instability. Competing interests fought for control of its fortunes in the city and changes in team ownership were frequent. The competitors vied to make a profit in any way they could on the game. As time passed, baseball became more established and eventually found its place in the city. Richmond's affiliation with baseball, from the years 1884 to 2000, is a fascinating story. The book covers the players and owners, and also for nearly twelve decades the relationship shared by the team and the city. It highlights baseball's early amateur beginnings in Richmond prior to 1884, the first year of professional baseball in the city in 1884, the revival of the Virginia State League from 1906 to 1914, the Virginia League from 1918 to 1928 and the Eastern League in 1931 and 1932, the Richmond Colts and the Piedmont League from 1933 to 1953, and Richmond's association with the International League beginning in 1954. |
| what is a split squad game: Playing with Tigers George Gmelch, 2016-02-01 In 1965 George Gmelch signed a contract to play professional baseball with the Detroit Tigers organization. Growing up sheltered in an all-white, affluent San Francisco suburb, he knew little of the world outside. Over the next four seasons, he came of age in baseball’s Minor Leagues through experiences ranging from learning the craft of the professional game to becoming conscious of race and class for the first time. Playing with Tigers is not a typical baseball memoir. Now a well-known anthropologist, Gmelch recounts a baseball education unlike any other as he got to know small-town life across the United States against the backdrop of the Vietnam War, civil rights protests, and the emergence of the counterculture. The social and political turmoil of the times spilled into baseball, and Gmelch experienced the consequences firsthand as he played out his career in the Jim Crow South. Playing with Tigers captures the gritty, insular, and humorous life and culture of Minor League baseball during a period when both the author and the country were undergoing profound changes. Drawing from journals he kept as a player, letters, and recent interviews with thirty former teammates, coaches, club officials, and even former girlfriends, Gmelch immerses the reader in the life of the Minor Leagues, capturing—in a manner his unique position makes possible—the universal struggle of young athletes trying to make their way. |
| what is a split squad game: Base Ball on the Western Reserve James M. Egan, Jr., 2008-05-21 Cleveland and the surrounding area was home to one of the earliest and most active baseball scenes outside of the eastern seaboard. This extraordinarily detailed history combines author commentary with first-hand accounts to document baseball's rapid development and popularization in the region during the decades following the Civil War. Ordered chronologically and then geographically by town, chapters follow the game's rise from the earliest reports on ball in 1841, to the era of loosely organized, town-to-town rivalries and semipro clubs, and finally through the early era of the professional, and eventually major league, sport. |
| what is a split squad game: Dynasty Tony Massarotti, 2008-04-01 A unique look at the inner workings of a major league baseball team and how the Red Sox went from perennial losers to baseball's next dynasty. When the Boston Red Sox defeated the Colorado Rockies in the 2007 World Series, they did more than win their second world championship in four seasons--they changed forever the identity of a franchise once defined by its spectacular failures. If winning the 2004 World Series permanently buried Boston's tragic past, the team's 2007 championship reinforced its promising future while changing the culture, mentality, and mind-set of the Red Sox and their followers. But the team's meteoric rise was not without controversy, and behind-the-scene clashes and infighting within the organization are revealed here in detail for the first time: The wildly popular pitcher Pedro Martinez and outfield sensation Johnny Damon were allowed to depart as free agents, and the Red Sox had to endure the temporary resignation of General Manager Theo Epstein. Author Tony Massarotti has been covering the Red Sox since the 1991 season and in Dynasty, Massarotti provides an in-depth and probing look at how the Red Sox became the most successful franchise in baseball. |
| what is a split squad game: Dodgers! Jim Alexander, 2022-07-20 In the 1880s, a Brooklyn baseball manager plotted to steal pitching signs and alert batters with a hidden electrical wire. In 1951, the Brooklyn Dodgers were robbed of a pennant via a sign-stealing scheme involving a center field office, a telescope and a button connected to the bullpen phone. In 2017, the Los Angeles Dodgers were robbed of a World Series championship via a sign-stealing system involving a TV camera, a monitor, a trash can and a bat. History has often repeated itself around the Dodgers franchise. From their beginnings as the Brooklyn Atlantics to their move from Flatbush to L.A. and into the 21st Century, the Dodgers have seen heartbreaking losses and stirring triumphs, broken the color barrier, turned the game into a true coast-to-coast sport and produced many Hall of Famers, This is their story. |
| what is a split squad game: I'm Just Getting Started , 2005 Based on more than 20 years behind a Madison microphone, this autobiographical account follows the University of Wisconsin Badgers' play-by-play announcer as he witnessed the college's famed golden era of athletics. Sharing the author's memories of the Badgers' successful run on the gridiron, the chapters document highlights such as Barry Alvarez leading the team to 11 bowl games in 16 seasons-including three Rose Bowl wins-and his successor, Brett Bielema, posting four 10-win seasons and advancing to a bowl game each year. Badgers' basketball is also covered, chronicling the men's streak of f. |
| what is a split squad game: The New Dickson Baseball Dictionary Paul Dickson, 1999 Still not sure what makes a sinker different from a curve? Can't remember when the M&M boys played with the Yankees? Want to know where the seventh-inning stretch comes from? Then you've done the right thing by picking up this book - the most complete collection of baseball terms and slang to be found between two covers. Impeccably researched, The New Dickson Baseball Dictionary covers all the bases. |
| what is a split squad game: Man Versus Ball Jon Hart, 2013-05-31 Jon Hart is not a professional athlete. His one major sports victory is a world championship in roller basketball, which is basketball on in-line skates. More than ten years ago, he started pursuing his own bucket list and embarked on a hilarious and insightful journey into the furthest reaches of the sports world. |
| what is a split squad game: John Cangelosi: The Improbable Baseball Journey of the Undersized Kid from Nowhere to World Series Champion John Cangelosi, K.P. Wee, 2019-07-10 John Cangelosi: The Improbable Baseball Journey of the Undersized Kid from Nowhere to World Series Champion A born and bred New Yorker, John Cangelosi’s claim to fame was as a super-quick base stealer with a tremendous work ethic. He played on that 1997 Florida Marlins team that surprised everyone by wining the World Series. In this biography, he teams up with noted sports writer K. P. Wee to share his stories of growing up in Brooklyn and what it took to become an MLB player. This is an inside look at a real everyman of baseball, full of stories about stealing bases against legendary pitchers and catchers, and how it felt to celebrate the first championship in Marlins history. “[Cangelosi] put forth the effort in the way he played, and he got back to the big leagues. You salute guys like that. And that’s why with the younger players, you just tell them, ‘Hey, look. You wanna try to get to the big leagues? Do what he does. Show up, and play hard every night.” —Terry Collins, former Buffalo Bisons manager and Houston Astros manager “If you have that blue-collar work ethic and not give up on your dreams, anything can happen. That’s what happened for me in those years in the 1990s.” —John Cangelosi |
| what is a split squad game: Kirby Puckett Rachel A. Koestler-Grack, 2009 Minnesota Twins's center fielder Kirby Puckett emerged from the rough housing projects of Chicago to become the jewel of Major League Baseball from 1984 to 1995. Better known by Twins fans as Puck, number 34 is still considered by most to be the greates |
| what is a split squad game: Under the March Sun Charles Fountain, 2009-03-04 There is nothing in all of American sport quite like baseball's spring training. This annual six-week ritual, whose origins date back nearly a century and a half, fires the hearts and imaginations of fans who flock by the hundreds of thousands to places like Dodgertown to glimpse superstars and living legends in a relaxed moment and watch the drama of journeyman veterans and starry-eyed kids in search of that last spot on the bench. In Under the March Sun, Charles Fountain recounts for the first time the full and fascinating history of spring training and its growth from a shoestring-budget roadtrip to burn off winter calories into a billion-dollar-a-year business. In the early days southern hotels only reluctantly admitted ballplayers--and only if they agreed not to mingle with other guests. Today cities fight for teams by spending millions in public money to build ever-more-elaborate spring-training stadiums. In the early years of the 20th century, the mayor of St. Petersburg, Florida, Al Lang, first realized that coverage in northern newspapers every spring was publicity his growing city could never afford to buy. As the book demonstrates, cities have been following Lang's lead ever since, building identities and economies through the media exposure and visitors that spring training brings. An entertaining cultural history that taps into the romance of baseball even as it reveals its more hard-nosed commercial machinations, Under the March Sun shows why spring training draws so many fans southward every March. While the prices may be growing and the intimacy and accessibility shrinking, they come because the sunshine and sense of hope are timeless. |
| what is a split squad game: Saved Jack Falla, 2015-11-10 Veteran Boston goaltender Jean Pierre Savard sees stardom and the money it brings as fate's make-up call for a life in which he lost his father, his wife, and most of his self confidence for anything not involving saves or sex. Now late in his career, Savard and his teammate and best friend, Cam Carter, are trying to fulfill their boyhood dreams of winning a Stanley Cup before they retire. A surprise late-season trade pits the friends against each other in a playoff series both could lose but only one can win. Saved takes the reader into the rinks, dressing rooms, planes, buses, and hotels that are the backdrop to the long grind of an NHL season. That grind is made bearable by the likes of players such as Bruno Govoni, whose cell phone ring tone is the orgasmic moaning of a porn star Loretta (Lash) LaRue; of Phil Flipside Palmer, the only person besides the Kingsmen who knows all the words to Louie Louie or that Child of the Moon was the flipside of the Rolling Stones' Jumpin' Jack Flash; and team enforcer Kevin Quigley, who claims all his fights are retaliations, but sometimes I retaliate first. Most sports novels bring the game to the reader. Saved brings the reader to the game. Praise for Jack Falla Falla's graphic portrayal of a violent sport (and its colorful players) and his insider's view of how hockey is played, coached, and officiated is exciting, surefire entertainment. -- Publishers Weekly on Saved Literary hot chocolate that will warm your heart. ---Robert Lipsyte, The New York Times, on Home Ice The best hockey book ever. ---John Buccigross, ESPN sportscaster, on Home Ice Possibly the best hockey book since Ken Dryden's The Game. ---Toronto Globe and Mail, on Home Ice |
| what is a split squad game: Bob Forsch's Tales from Cardinals Dugout Bob Forsch, Tom Wheatley, 2006 Offering readers more than just a sneak peek into the dugout, Bob Forsch's Tales from the Cardinals Dugout takes fans into the clubhouse, out to the bullpen, onto the mound, up to the batter's box, around the base paths, along for the ride to spring training, and maybe even on a fishing trip or two in this tribute to the long and storied tradition of St. Louis Cardinals baseball. In his own witty style, Bob Forsch, known to many as ?Forschie? during his playing days, has drawn from his exciting history with the Cardinals to bring fans stories that are laugh-out-loud funny. |
| what is a split squad game: Sports Off-Center Ken Widmann, Dan Appel, 2006 A whimsical parody of modern-day sports culture presents a compilation of fake articles, editorials, transcripts, photographs, ads, and other features from a fictional sports magazine, skewering the follies and foibles of America's sports obsessions. Original. 20,000 first printing. |
| what is a split squad game: Summer of '68 Tim Wendel, 2013-03-12 The extraordinary story of the 1968 baseball season--when the game was played to perfection even as the country was being pulled apart at the seams From the beginning, '68 was a season rocked by national tragedy and sweeping change. Opening Day was postponed and later played in the shadow of Martin Luther King, Jr.'s funeral. That summer, as the pennant races were heating up, the assassination of Robert Kennedy was later followed by rioting at the Democratic National Convention in Chicago. But even as tensions boiled over and violence spilled into the streets, something remarkable was happening in major league ballparks across the country. Pitchers were dominating like never before, and with records falling and shut-outs mounting, many began hailing '68 as The Year of the Pitcher. In Summer of '68, Tim Wendel takes us on a wild ride through a season that saw such legends as Bob Gibson, Denny McLain, Don Drysdale, and Luis Tiant set new standards for excellence on the mound, each chasing perfection against the backdrop of one of the most divisive and turbulent years in American history. For some players, baseball would become an insular retreat from the turmoil encircling them that season, but for a select few, including Gibson and the defending champion St. Louis Cardinals, the conflicts of '68 would spur their performances to incredible heights and set the stage for their own run at history. Meanwhile in Detroit -- which had burned just the summer before during one of the worst riots in American history -- '68 instead found the city rallying together behind a colorful Tigers team led by McLain, Mickey Lolich, Willie Horton, and Al Kaline. The Tigers would finish atop the American League, setting themselves on a highly anticipated collision course with Gibson's Cardinals. And with both teams' seasons culminating in a thrilling World Series for the ages -- one team playing to establish a dynasty, the other fighting to help pull a city from the ashes -- what ultimately lay at stake was something even larger: baseball's place in a rapidly changing America that would never be the same. In vivid, novelistic detail, Summer of '68 tells the story of this unforgettable season -- the last before rule changes and expansion would alter baseball forever -- when the country was captivated by the national pastime at the moment it needed the game most. |
| what is a split squad game: Puck Kirby Puckett Chuck Carlson, 1997-04-01 This is the story of Kirby Puckett and his remarkable journey from the projects of the south. |
| what is a split squad game: Long Shot Mike Piazza, 2014-02-18 The twelve-time All-Star catcher describes the inspiration he gleaned from his self-made father, his early career with the Dodgers, his memorable 2000 World Series with the Mets, and the controversies that have marked his career. |
| what is a split squad game: Manager of Giants Lou Hernández, 2018-11-05 For decades prior to the rise of Babe Ruth, the most recognized name in baseball was John McGraw. An outstanding player in the 1890s, McGraw--nicknamed Mugsy--was molded in the rough and tumble pre-20th century game where sportsmanship and fair play took a back seat to competition. Later, he became the successful manager of the New York Giants, dominating the National League in New York City for more than 30 years. McGraw led the Giants with authoritarian swagger--earning another moniker, Little Napoleon--from 1902 through 1932, before illness forced his retirement. In his 31 seasons in New York, his teams won three world championships and 10 pennants and rarely finished out of the first division. He was a trailblazer in the use of bullpen and position player substitutions, and pushed hit-and-run strategies over the then prevalent dictums of sacrifice bunting. An unconventional leader, McGraw missed considerable bench time during his reign on account of injury, illness and fiery temperament. |
| what is a split squad game: The Yankee Years Joe Torre, Tom Verducci, 2010-03-09 The definitive story of one of the greatest dynasties in baseball history, Joe Torre's New York Yankees. When Joe Torre took over as manager of the Yankees in 1996, they had not won a World Series title in eighteen years. In that time seventeen others had tried to take the helm of America’s most famous baseball team. Each one was fired by George Steinbrenner. After twelve triumphant seasons—with twelve straight playoff appearances, six pennants, and four World Series titles—Torre left the Yankees as the most beloved manager in baseball. But dealing with players like Jason Giambi, A-Rod, Derek Jeter, Mariano Rivera, Roger Clemens, and Randy Johnson is what managing is all about. Here, for the first time, Joe Torre and Tom Verducci take readers inside the dugout, the clubhouse, and the front office, showing what it took to keep the Yankees on top of the baseball world. |
| what is a split squad game: All the Dead Heroes Stephen F. Wilcox, 2001 Crime reporter T.S.W. Sheridan investigates the troubled life—and untimely death—of one of his boyhood idols from the 1960s, baseball legend Frank Wooley. The second black player to play for the New York Yankees, Wooley's outspokenness on civil rights and labor issues -- and a reputation for womanizing and gambling -- had forced him from the game he loved. For twenty years he's lived the life of a recluse on a secluded piece of land tucked away in upstate New York's Finger Lakes region. Now, only weeks before his controversial induction into the Baseball Hall of Fame in Cooperstown, Wooley is savagely murdered and Sheridan is determined to find out why. |
| what is a split squad game: Unwritten Rules KD Casey, 2021-10-12 KD Casey's sexy, dreamy, poignant baseball romances hit a homerun every time! — Lauren Blakely, #1 NYT Bestselling author of Scoring With Him Ex-teammates—and exes—reunite for a second chance in this delightful sports romance from debut author KD Casey. Zach Glasser has put up with a lot for the sport he loves. Endless days on the road, playing half-decent baseball in front of half-full stadiums and endless nights alone, pretending this is the life he's always wanted. The thing is, it could have been everything he ever wanted—if only he'd had the guts to tell his family, tell the club, that he was in love with his teammate Eugenio Morales. Well, ex-teammate now. When Zach wouldn't—couldn't—come out, Eugenio made the devastating choice to move on, demanding a trade away from Oakland. Away from Zach. Three years and countless regrets later, Zach still can't get Eugenio out of his head. Or his heart. And when they both get selected to play in the league’s All-Star Classic, those feelings and that chemistry come roaring back. Zach wants a second chance. Eugenio wants a relationship he doesn't have to hide. Maybe it's finally time they both get what they want. |
| what is a split squad game: Teammate David Ross, Don Yaeger, 2018-08-07 Packed with compelling inside stories (Chicago Tribune), Teammate is the inspiring memoir from Grandpa Rossy, the veteran catcher who became the heart and soul of the 2016 Chicago Cubs championship team and was named manager in 2019. In 2016 the Cubs snapped a 108-year curse, winning the World Series in a history-making, seven-game series against the Cleveland Indians. Of the many storylines to Chicago's fairytale season, one stood out: the late-career renaissance of David Ross, the 39-year-old catcher who had played back-up for 13 of his 15 pro seasons. Beyond Ross's remarkably strong play, he became the ultimate positive force in the Cubs locker room, mentoring and motivating his fellow players, some of them nearly twenty years his junior. Thanks to Cubs Kris Bryant and Anthony Rizzo, Grandpa Rossy became a social media sensation. No one, however, could have predicted that Ross's home run in his final career at bat would help seal the Cubs championship. Now, in Teammate, Ross shares the inspiring story of his life in baseball, framed by the events of that unforgettable November night. |
| what is a split squad game: The Case for Barry Bonds in the Hall of Fame K. P. Wee, 2021-04-05 Barry Bonds is a Hall of Famer. At some point, the best players of their era have to be enshrined. Period. It’s part of our game’s history. —Trevor Bauer, 2020 National League Cy Young Award Winner Sportswriter K. P. Wee asks the question that many MLB fans have been thinking—Should Barry Bonds be in the Baseball Hall of Fame? In his 22 years in the Major Leagues, Bonds, who played for the Pittsburgh Pirates and the San Francisco Giants, was: - the All-time Home Run leader with 762 home runs - a seven-time MVP - a 14-time All-Star - an eight-time Gold Glove winner As the final year to vote this home run king in begins, The Case for Barry Bonds in the Baseball Hall of Fame looks at his stunning career from all aspects including his personal life as the son of a baseball legend, as well as never-before told stories of his generosity and mentorship towards other ballplayers. The book also looks at the stories of his distaste for the sports press, as well as the role of racism in professional sports, and how this impacted his career. Join sportswriter K. P. Wee as he shares insights and interviews from baseball insiders, Hall of Fame voters and baseball legends, as he puts to rest the question “Does Barry Bonds belong in the Baseball Hall of Fame?” |
| what is a split squad game: Living on the Black John Feinstein, 2008-05-01 Pitchers are the heart of baseball, and John Feinstein tells the story of the game today through one season and two great pitchers working in the crucible of the New York media market. Tom Glavine and Mike Mussina have seen it all in the Major Leagues and both entered 2007 in search of individual milestones and one more shot at The World Series-Glavine with the Mets, Mussina five miles away with the Yankees. The two veterans experience very different seasons -- one on a team dealing with the pressure to get to a World Series for the first time in seven years, the other with a team expected to be there every year. Taking the reader through contract negotiations, spring training, the ups of wins and losses, and the people in their lives-family, managers, pitching coaches, agents, catchers, other pitchers -- John Feinstein provides a true insider's look at the pressure cooker of sports at the highest level. |
| what is a split squad game: The Miracle Braves of 1914 Bob Brady, Charles F. Faber, Jack V. Morris, Chip Greene, Peter Bjarkman, Wayne McElreavy, Maurice Bouchard, Jim Elfers, Greg Erion, 2014-04-02 Long before the Red Sox Impossible Dream season, Boston’s now nearly forgotten “other” team, the 1914 Boston Braves, performed a baseball “miracle” that resounds to this very day. The Miracle Braves were Boston's first worst-to-first winners of the World Series. Shortly after the turn of the previous century, the once mighty Braves had become a perennial member of the National League’s second division. Preseason pundits didn't believe the 1914 team posed a meaningful threat to John McGraw’s powerful New York Giants. During the first half of that campaign, Boston lived down to such expectations, taking up residence in the league’s basement. Refusing to throw in the towel at the midseason mark, their leader, the pugnacious George Stallings, deftly manipulated his daily lineup and pitching staff to engineer a remarkable second-half climb in the standings all the way to first place. The team’s winning momentum carried into the postseason, where the Braves swept Connie Mack's heralded Athletics and claimed the only World Championship ever won by Boston’s National League entry. And for 100 years, the management, players, and fans of underperforming ball clubs have turned to the Miracle Braves to catch a glimmer of hope that such a midseason turnaround could be repeated. Through the collaborative efforts of a band of dedicated members of the Society for American Baseball Research, this benchmark accomplishment is richly revealed to the reader in The Miracle Braves of 1914: Boston's Original Worst-to-First World Series Champions. The essence of the “miracle” is captured through a comprehensive compendium of incisive biographies of the players and other figures associated with the team, with additional relevant research pieces on the season. After a journey through the pages of this book, the die-hard baseball fan will better understand why the call to “Wait Until Next Year” should never be voiced prematurely. Includes: FOREWORD by Bob Brady THE BRAVES Ted Cather by Jack V. Morris Gene Cocreham by Thomas Ayers Wilson Collins by Charlie Weatherby Joe Connolly by Dennis Auger Ensign Cottrell by Peter Cottrell Dick Crutcher by Jerrod Cotosman George Davis by Rory Costello Charlie Deal by Charles F. Faber Josh Devore by Peter Gordon Oscar Dugey by Charlie Weatherby Johnny Evers by David Shiner The 1914 Evers-Zimmerman Incident and How the Tale Grew Taller Over the Years by Bob Brady The Evers Ejection Record by Mark Sternman Larry Gilbert by Jack V. Morris Hank Gowdy by Carol McMains and Frank Ceresi Tommy Griffith by Chip Greene Otto Hess by Gary Hess Tom Hughes by Greg Erion Bill James by David Jones Clarence Kraft by Jon Dunkle Dolf Luque by Peter Bjarkman Les Mann by Maurice Bouchard Rabbit Maranville by Dick Leyden Billy Martin by Bob Joel Jack Martin by Charles F. Faber Herbie Moran by Charles F. Faber Jim Murray by Jim Elfers Hub Perdue by John Simpson Dick Rudolph by Dick Leyden Butch Schmidt by Chip Greene Red Smith by Charles F. Faber Paul Strand by Jack V. Morris Fred Tyler by John Shannahan Lefty Tyler by Wayne McElreavy Bert Whaling by Charles F. Faber George “Possum” Whitted by Craig Hardee MANAGER George Stallings by Martin Kohout COACH Fred Mitchell by Bill Nowlin OWNER Jim Gaffney by Rory Costello The Braves’ A.B.C. by Ring Lardner 1914 Boston Braves Timeline by Mike Lynch A Stallings Anecdote 1914 World Series by Mark Sternman “I Told You So” by O.R.C. The Rest of 1914 by Mike Lynch How An Exhibition Game Contributed To A Miracle by Bob Brady The National League Pennant Race of 1914 by Frank Vaccaro The Press, The Fans, and the 1914 Boston Braves by Donna L. Halper Return of the Miracle Braves by Bob Brady Miracle Teams by A Comparison of the 1914 Miracle Braves and 1969 Miracle Mets by Tom Nahigian An Unexpected Farewell by The South End Grounds, August 1914 by Bob Ruzzo The Time(s) the Braves Played Home Games at Fenway Park by Bill Nowlin The Kisselkar Sign The Trail Blazers in Indian File by R. E. M. - poems for 1914 Braves, collected by Joanne Hulbert The Story of the 1914 Braves by George Stallings “Mr. Warmth” and “Very Superstitious” – two George Stallings anecdotes by Bob Brady By the Numbers by Dan Fields Creature Feature by Dan Fields |
| what is a split squad game: The Team Paul Babcock, 2020-11-09 Great success stories all start the same way... You can't do it. Saying this book is about baseball is like saying Rudy is about football, and Rocky is about boxing. It is so much more than that. These stories are of ordinary people accomplishing extraordinary feats by simply believing in their dreams, with a steadfast determination to realize their goal. The Team is such a story. Paul Babcock, an ordinary man with a dream initiated as a young boy on a farm in Illinois. The youngest of ten s |
| what is a split squad game: Building the Brewers Chris Zantow, 2019-11-08 When the Milwaukee Braves moved to Atlanta after the 1965 season, many impassioned fans grew indifferent to baseball. Others--namely car dealer Bud Selig--decided to fight for the beloved sport. Selig formed an ownership group with the goal of winning a new franchise. They faced formidable opposition--American League President Joe Cronin, lawyer turned baseball commissioner Bowie Kuhn, and other AL team owners would not entertain the notion of another team for the city. This first ever history of baseball's return to Milwaukee covers the owners, teams and ballparks behind the rise and fall of their Braves, the five-year struggle to acquire a new team, the relocation of a major league club a week prior to the 1970 season and how the Brewers created an identity and built a fan base and a contending team. |
