“In two hours and 35 minutes, Santana erased 51 years of near misses, of so-closes and maybe-next-times.”
— On Johan Santana, his no-hitter and the ghosts of 2006.
“
Wright stood by third base and looked at the faces of fans in the stands, overcome with joyous, nervous anticipation. Then, he pondered a question: How does a team celebrate a no-hitter? As a lifelong Met, this isn’t his area of expertise.
“Do we jump on him?” Wright said. “I was trying to think of what the protocol was. I was thinking back to one of [Justin] Verlander’s no-hitters trying to remember what they did.”
”
“Before Santana threw his last pitch — a changeup — one fan held his fists high, celebrating prematurely, waiting anxiously. He lowered them slightly, flinching, as Freese swung. Johan Santana had tortured him, just like his Mets had, long enough, and it was time to celebrate.”
— Santana’s No-Hitter Is a First for the Mets (New York Times)
“[T[here is one issue that might be a dealbreaker in the Mickelson-MLB relationship: He’s rumored to have been a serious gambler.”
— Began in ‘96’s Joe Schackman on why Mickelson’s past as a gambler might not mesh with his future as a baseball owner
“Whether it’s a slow, headline-driven erosion of public support or one drastic miscalculation, Goodell’s heavy hand will eventually spark a backlash. Sports are built on the concept of competition within the framework of fairness, equality and justice. A league that operates contrary to that can only survive for so long.”
— Matt Anderson’s first for Began in ‘96, on the NFL’s transformation into sports’ biggest bully.
(Source: soupsoup, via felixsalmon)
“The idea is to learn about football (and hopefully help others do the same). The best way to learn is through you. So help me with the endless debates that are captivating the football world. Correct me when I’m wrong, and call me an idiot when I’m totally wrong. The only way, and the best way, to learn is if this is a a group effort.”
— Began in 96’s Joe Schackman embarks on a quest to learn all there is to know about soccer.
On the day that Began in ‘96 hit a major milestone, a short note to all of the site’s contributors and readers: A thank you from Began in ‘96
And check out some of our best work to date:
Storybook, from start to finish
Pumped to be Stoked: Skiing the Ridge
What happens when you look away
The second coming: Grantland, Tebow and a manufactured crisis
Surrounding Yeardley and George, a deafening silence
Steve Novak, three-point savant
“That pitcher Carlos Zambrano is even a part of the Marlins’ rotation, much less serving as its cornerstone, is the result of a series of setbacks, disappointments and last chances.”
— The man driving the Marlins’ May turnaround is in the midst of his own recovery, the latest in Began in ‘96’s series
“The roster would be balanced, affordable and have plenty of talent on paper. It will still take some ingenuity from Woodson to make those pieces fit, but the potential is there.”
— Began in ‘96’s James Epstein breaks down the Knicks’ needs and predicts how the offseason will play out
