iiinova — where your digital self keeps evolving

Paul White @paulwhite.bsky.social · 09/10/2026

It’s a free Friday Stuff! Unlocked for all, this edition profiles some big personalities, from Leo the Lip, to the Chairman of the Board, to a Negro Leagues great kept from the Hall of Fame by spite. @ibwaa.bsky.social

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Friday Stuff

Big Personalities Edition

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Paul White @paulwhite.bsky.social · 08/10/2026

Left fielders historically haven’t received enough love for their defense. That included Ron Gant, who was so overlooked that you can’t find a signature model glove with his name in it. @ibwaa.bsky.social

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First Gloves: Ron Gant

As far as I can tell, no glove manufacturer produced a glove that had Ron Gant’s signature embossed on it.

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Paul White @paulwhite.bsky.social · 07/10/2026

Sudden Sam McDowell passed away on Monday. A couple of years ago I wrote about his career and his tortured journey from addiction to becoming a counselor to others. Here it is again, unlocked for all. @ibwaa.bsky.social

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Archies: Baseball Remembers Sam McDowell

The news broke yesterday that Sam McDowell passed away on Monday at his home in Florida.

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Paul White @paulwhite.bsky.social · 02/10/2026

This week’s Friday Staff covers legends doing legendary things, including races for .400, record-setting no-hitters, and The Babe hitting his most famous Fall Classic homer. @ibwaa.bsky.social

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Friday Stuff

Legends Doing Legendary Things Edition

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Paul White @paulwhite.bsky.social · 01/10/2026

Periodically, people decide to build “Best Of” lists, and when they do it’s really important they stick to just one lane. Otherwise you’ll get the jumbled mess I ran across recently. @ibwaa.bsky.social

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The Best of the 1970s

I’d like to start with a bit of a game.

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Paul White @paulwhite.bsky.social · 30/09/2026

For a guy who wasn’t the most famous Cincinnati Red, or native of Donora, PA, or even the most famous person with his name, Ken Griffey was a pretty good ballplayer. @ibwaa.bsky.social

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Forgotten Treasures: 1975 Topps Ken Griffey

I’ve always felt badly for Ken Griffey.

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Paul White @paulwhite.bsky.social · 29/09/2026

In 1953, major league owners finally succeeded in running Bill Veeck out of baseball, and that’s why we never got teams named the Milwaukee Browns and Houston Cardinals. @ibwaa.bsky.social

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The Milwaukee Browns and Houston Cardinals

It would be hard to overstate how much most baseball owners hated Bill Veeck.

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Paul White @paulwhite.bsky.social · 28/09/2026

Jim Edmonds was great, but his list of accolades is weird. He got about half as many All-Star selections as he deserved, but also somehow got about twice as many Gold Gloves as he deserved. @ibwaa.bsky.social

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First Gloves: Jim Edmonds

This one is going to be a bit tricky, because as I start to write this edition I think it’s going to go in a direction that Cardinals fans won’t like.

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Paul White @paulwhite.bsky.social · 25/09/2026

Tons of interesting things happened with catchers in the 1960s, from legends to guys who were just pretty good, and even guys we’ve forgotten played catcher, all in this week’s Friday Stuff. @ibwaa.bsky.social

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Friday Stuff

Catchers and the 1960s Edition

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Paul White @paulwhite.bsky.social · 22/09/2026

Major League Baseball recently tried to name the ten “greatest” and/or most “defining” individual seasons in history. Instead they sort of rewrote history into an odd muddled mess. @ibwaa.bsky.social

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MLB’s Altering of History

Here are four major league seasons by four really good pitchers.

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Paul White @paulwhite.bsky.social · 21/09/2026

Being an amateur detective can be fun, like when you’re trying to track down the people, and even the exact play, on the cover of an old edition of Baseball Magazine. @ibwaa.bsky.social

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Sleuthing Baseball Magazine

It took about 20 minutes, and mostly that was because of the damned umpire.

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Paul White @paulwhite.bsky.social · 18/09/2026

This week’s Friday Stuff is a celebration of events in the history of the two franchises in Canada, from Vladdy to Joey Bats to The Rock and The Kid. There’s even an appearance by… Earl Weaver? @ibwaa.bsky.social

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Friday Stuff

O Canada Edition

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Paul White @paulwhite.bsky.social · 17/09/2026

Baltimore made a bad deal in trading for Glenn Davis. Bad deals happen to every team. The real question is whether they should have known it was a bad deal beforehand. @ibwaa.bsky.social

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Should the O’s Have Known About Glenn Davis?

In retrospect, it looks like a horrible deal.

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Paul White @paulwhite.bsky.social · 15/09/2026

When Johnny Cooney hurt his pitching arm, it looked like his career would be short, just like his dad’s and brother’s. But five years later he was back, nearly winning a batting title at 40. @ibwaa.bsky.social

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Late Bloomers: Johnny Cooney

When Johnny Cooney was shipped out from the Boston Braves to the minor leagues after the 1930 season, there was probably a part of him that thought he’d had a pretty good run.

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Paul White @paulwhite.bsky.social · 14/09/2026

My family has been lucky enough to have a couple of encounters with Buck O’Neil through the years. The latest was just last week, and the other is reprinted here in this free, unlocked post for everyone. @ibwaa.bsky.social

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My Family and Buck O’Neil

The Kansas City Royals do a cool thing each game.

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Paul White @paulwhite.bsky.social · 11/09/2026

It’s nothing but shortstops in this week’s Friday Stuff. We’ve got everything from a great who couldn’t stay healthy, to a great who had to change positions, to a great who never left the field. @ibwaa.bsky.social

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Friday Stuff

All Shortstops Edition

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Paul White @paulwhite.bsky.social · 10/09/2026

When I was a kid and all of my knowledge about ballplayers came from their baseball cards, I thought Ralph Garr was one of the greatest hitters in the world, and I wish that turned out to be true. @ibwaa.bsky.social

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Baseball Remembers: Ralph Garr

In retrospect, the front of the baseball card should have told me something that the back wasn’t telling me.

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Paul White @paulwhite.bsky.social · 09/09/2026

With the recent anniversary of Nolan Ryan’s 5,000th strikeout, it’s good to note that hitters who faced him usually joined one of two clubs; the Good Memory Club or the Bad Memory Club. @ibwaa.bsky.social

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The Nolan Ryan Club

A couple of weeks ago, we passed the anniversary of Nolan Ryan’s 5,000th career strikeouts.

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Paul White @paulwhite.bsky.social · 08/09/2026

In 1987, the window was closing for both the Detroit Tigers and Doyle Alexander. And yet, at a very high cost to Tigers teams of the future, they combined for one last magical run. @ibwaa.bsky.social

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The Doyle Alexander Trade

If you’re a Braves fan, merely reading the title of this edition probably made you smile.

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Paul White @paulwhite.bsky.social · 07/09/2026

This baseball card of Andy Messersmith may be worth just a buck, but the actual Messersmith was worth much more to every baseball player who has followed him. @ibwaa.bsky.social

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Forgotten Treasures: 1971 Topps Andy Messersmith

One dollar.

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Paul White @paulwhite.bsky.social · 04/09/2026

We’ve got nothing but turn of the century stars in this week’s Friday Stuff, from one of the best lefties ever to a batting champ/lawyer, plus a dress rehearsal for one of the most infamous plays ever. @ibwaa.bsky.social

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Friday Stuff

Turn of the Century Legends Edition

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Paul White @paulwhite.bsky.social · 02/09/2026

Joe Berry earned a great nickname and a well-deserved trip to the big leagues after more than a decade in the minors. And then he had the best rookie season for a reliever ever. @ibwaa.bsky.social

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Late Bloomers: Jittery Joe Berry

This is not a typical path to big league success:

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Paul White @paulwhite.bsky.social · 01/09/2026

Carl Furillo should have spent his final years in some baseball job, enjoying his legacy as one of The Boys of Summer. Instead he spent it bitter and cold in the basement of a doomed building. @ibwaa.bsky.social

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Baseball Remembers: Carl Furillo

To say that Carl Furillo had a chip on his shoulder is the equivalent of saying Babe Ruth had some pop in his bat, or that Cal Ripken was durable.

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Paul White @paulwhite.bsky.social · 28/08/2026

There’s no particular theme, but we’ve got a monster, a dandy, a basher, a bunch of bigots, and the best defensive right fielder ever (and it’s not who you think) in this week’s Friday Stuff. @ibwaa.bsky.social

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Friday Stuff

No Theme Edition

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Paul White @paulwhite.bsky.social · 27/08/2026

The Father, the Son, the Holy Spirit, Hasenpfeffer Incorporated

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Paul White @paulwhite.bsky.social · 27/08/2026

Deion Sanders had a baseball action figure. I’m not sure his career warranted it, but I think it probably would have if he hadn’t made football his main focus. @ibwaa.bsky.social

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Forgotten Treasures: Deion Sanders Action Figure

Ultimately, he just wasn’t that good at baseball.

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Paul White @paulwhite.bsky.social · 25/08/2026

It’s pretty well known that Gold Gloves used to be handed out more for how a player looked than how they played. That sad fact might have cost Darrell Evans a shot at the Hall of Fame. @ibwaa.bsky.social

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First Gloves: Darrell Evans

A player usually needs more than one skill in order to be elected to the Hall of Fame.

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Paul White @paulwhite.bsky.social · 21/08/2026

Often when a player is best known for a record and it’s broken, they are forgotten a little bit. So let’s remember some of those who’ve been passed by in this week’s Friday Stuff. @ibwaa.bsky.social

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Friday Stuff

The Passed-By Edition

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Paul White @paulwhite.bsky.social · 20/08/2026

Lots of pitchers more deserving of the Hall of Fame than Rube Marquard have been passed over, yet he got himself elected. How? Easy, he just talked his way in. @ibwaa.bsky.social

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Baseball Remembers: Rube Marquard

Picture, if you will, the following major league pitcher.

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Paul White @paulwhite.bsky.social · 19/08/2026

The “Back In My Day” crowd can be sort of quaint or they can be self-righteous and insufferable. Jorge Posada recently decided to rewrite history and go down that second path. @ibwaa.bsky.social

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Jorge Posada is Big Mad

The “Back In My Day” crowd is never-ending, isn’t it?

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Paul White @paulwhite.bsky.social · 18/08/2026

Before the Red Sox played in one of the smaller and older parks in the American League, they played in one of the bigger and newer ones, and you can still find traces of it in Boston today. @ibwaa.bsky.social

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The First Home of the World Series

The Red Sox absolutely love telling people about Fenway Park.

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Paul White @paulwhite.bsky.social · 17/08/2026

Fair winds and following seas to Tommy John, who passed away over the weekend at the age of 83. Here’s an unlocked edition from the archives about his feeling that his politics kept him out of Cooperstown. @ibwaa.bsky.social

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Archives: Tommy John's Politics

Over the weekend, Tommy John passed away at the age of 83.

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Paul White @paulwhite.bsky.social · 14/08/2026

In this week’s Friday Stuff, we look at some examples of the long, sad history of White players receiving honors and attention that was denied or delayed for Black players who were just as good. @ibwaa.bsky.social

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Friday Stuff

Black and White Edition

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Paul White @paulwhite.bsky.social · 13/08/2026

Just before the 1970 season, the Twins gambled that Luis Tiant was coming off a bad year instead of being hurt, and that decision cost them one of the best third basemen ever. @ibwaa.bsky.social

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Minnesota’s Horrible Bet on Luis Tiant

In retrospect, it should have been obvious they were making a mistake.

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Paul White @paulwhite.bsky.social · 12/08/2026

Tom Tresh was a really good, really versatile fielder who somehow managed to win his only Gold Glove Award at the one position he played pretty badly. @ibwaa.bsky.social

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First Gloves: Tom Tresh

The first question in deciding which glove of Tom Tresh’s to write about involves which glove to use.

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Paul White @paulwhite.bsky.social · 11/08/2026

Eventually the Dodgers used young guys with big fastballs as their closers, but for a long time they mastered the art of turning older, failed starters into great relief specialists. @ibwaa.bsky.social

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Late Blooming Dodgers Closers

Usually I wouldn’t do a Late Bloomers edition about multiple players.

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Paul White @paulwhite.bsky.social · 07/08/2026

Last week it was final games, so this week it’s all big league debuts! There’s Mick the Quick, The Blade, and Tiny, plus Sweet Swingin’ Billy from Whistler, all in this week’s Friday Stuff. @ibwaa.bsky.social

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Friday Stuff

Major League Debuts Edition

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Paul White @paulwhite.bsky.social · 06/08/2026

Social media posts promising to list “the best” or “greatest” players typically make me roll my eyes and cringe. But the one I came across recently turned out to be only half-bad. @ibwaa.bsky.social

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Each Franchise’s Greatest Player

Sometimes when I run across a particularly silly item on social media, I just want to release a big sigh, take a few deep breaths, and move on with my day.

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Paul White @paulwhite.bsky.social · 05/08/2026

The Red Sox are on quite a historic heater, literally unprecedented. And my family and I were lucky enough to witness a small part of it. @ibwaa.bsky.social

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The Streaking Sox

The Red Sox just tied the franchise record by having a 15-game winning streak.

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