10/16/98

Fall Classic

World Series fever has hit our household, our town and our team: the Padres. It all started last spring with two tickets that were given to my husband and son. My son enjoyed the game so much, I soon bought tickets for the whole family. One game led to another, and now I have to admit — I'm a certified Padres fan. For baseball fans everywhere, here are my recommendations for the best World Series sites in cyber space.

1998 World Series Championship

At this official site, playoff games can be followed in real time via RealAudio or Shockwave animation. Video clips from games past (you'll need the RealVideo player) can be found under Multimedia. I tried the Animated Hit Charts, but they didn't work. Don't you just hate when that happens? But do come here for the latest game schedules, virtual stadium tours, players' stats and playoff history.

CNN/SI 1998 MLB Postseason

CNN and Sports Illustrated team up to cover the postseason with liberal use of audio and video clips. This site is well organized, and stats and histories are easy to find. Look under Other Baseball News, Fun & Games for the Shockwave game Home Run Rally. The best clicks are the lively message boards with discussions of everything from "Are the umpires blind this postseason?" to "Is there a double standard in coverage of Mark's 62nd vs. Sammy's 62nd?"

History of the World Series

In 1903, the established National League and fledgling American League agreed to put two years of bickering and player raiding behind them. The Pittsburgh Pirates and the Boston Pilgrims staged a best-of-nine postseason playoff for the World Championship. "Perhaps the main thing about the 1903 Series, though, was that it at least cooled tempers between baseball's warring factions. That the upstart American League buried the hatchet squarely in the back of the haughty National League -- and did so with fiendish delight -- was merely a sidelight."

Home Run Record

No discussion of the 1998 Major League Baseball season would be complete without coverage of the race to beat Roger Maris' record of sixty-one home runs set in 1961. You can view the lists of home run heros sorted in various ways. All Time Leaders counts career home runs, topped by Hank Aaron's 755. Home Run Record History lists the record-breaking years starting with the National League's inaugural year 1876, when George Hall hit five home runs. Home Run Record records the most home runs in a single season, topped, of course, by Mark McGuire's seventy home runs this year.

National Baseball Hall of Fame: History of the World Series

This history exhibit takes us back to 1884, when the first World Series was played. The Providence Grays, champions of the National League, defeated the New York Metropolitans, winners in the American Association, three in a row. Under various arrangements, the leagues continued postseason play through 1890. In 1892, the two leagues merged and played a split season. Then came the Temple Cup Series, played from 1894 to 1897, between the first and second place teams. Postseason play stopped that year and didn't resume until the World Championship of 1903.

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