Latest news with #WillieMays
Fast Company
2 days ago
- Business
- Fast Company
The power of teamwork
Last year, Major League Baseball helped shine a spotlight on Birmingham, Alabama's historic Rickwood Field, which for decades was the home of the Birmingham Black Barons, a Negro Leagues team where Willie Mays got his start. The event was designed to celebrate the ballpark's storied past and honor the history of the Negro Leagues. The event's centerpiece was a regular-season matchup between the St. Louis Cardinals and San Francisco Giants. Getting the relatively tiny—and not particularly modern—park ready for primetime took plenty of work. Enter BaAM Productions. 'Creativity is at the heart of what we do,' says Annemarie Roe, president of BaAM, '[whether that's] making an idea real or creating a concept that we can build on with our clients.' BaAM is no stranger to such high-profile events. In the past year alone, the company helped stage the NHL Draft at the Las Vegas Sphere, managed event construction for Super Bowl LVIII, and kicked off procurement and delivery planning for the 2026 FIFA World Cup. But while BaAM's client list is impressive, the real story is in how it does its work. Its unique team-based approach to tackling events on a global stage is a key reason why BaAM has earned a spot on Fast Compan y's list of the Most Innovative Companies. The importance of transparency BaAM's team members wore many hats heading into the Rickwood Field game. They coordinated construction projects to help maintain the historic feel of the stadium while also meeting MLB's stringent requirements. They designed and integrated the fan experience and MLB-led visual elements across the three-day event. And they planned event operations with nearly 40 local vendors to provide production, hospitality, concessions, and other services. Through it all, each of the stakeholder groups collaborated closely, staying focused on the event as a whole—not just on their particular slice of the project. 'Transparent collaboration allows us to hit a new level of ideation and expertise,' Roe says. Inside BaAM, this transparency has a name: informed creativity. The concept originated through an internal branding exercise where the BaAM team was asked to imagine the company as a person. 'The top two characteristics were creativity and wisdom,' Roe says. 'This shared concept is one we've developed and continue to foster together as a group.' There's no 'I' in team To help ensure all BaAM teams are on the same page and working toward a shared outcome, the company borrowed a concept from team sports: the coach. At BaAM, this role is played by the director of people and culture, who 's available to all team members throughout the conception and realization of projects. 'The coach is there as a sounding board, a trainer, an observer, and someone who can call you out or congratulate you or prop you up,' Roe says. It makes sense that BaAM looks to sports for inspiration. Much of the company's work centers on sports, and Roe says observing what makes sports teams successful has informed how the company operates on many levels. 'We've had a lot of inspiration from the concept of team and the passion that happens in and around sports,' she says. 'Ultimately, it's that passion that gets us up in the morning and keeps us going.'
San Francisco Chronicle
09-06-2025
- Sport
- San Francisco Chronicle
This Date in Baseball - Reggie Sanders became 5th player in MLB history with 300 HRs and 300 SBs
June 10 1921 — Babe Ruth of the New York Yankees became baseball's career home run leader by hitting his 120th off Cleveland's Jim Bagby in the third inning. The Indians took the game 8-6. 1944 — Joe Nuxhall, at 15 years, 10 months and 11 days, became the youngest player in major league history when he pitched for the Cincinnati Reds in an 18-0 loss to the St. Louis Cardinals. 1959 — Rocky Colavito of Cleveland hit four consecutive home runs at Baltimore's Memorial Stadium, a tough home run park. Billy Martin and Minnie Minoso also homered in the Indians' 11-8 victory. 1966 — Cleveland's Sonny Siebert threw the only no-hitter of the year as the Indians beat the Washington Senators 2-0. 1972 — Hank Aaron's grand slam pushed the Atlanta Braves to a 15-3 rout over the Philadelphia Phillies. It was Aaron's 649th home run, moving him ahead of Willie Mays into second place on the career home run list. It was also his 14th grand slam, tying Gil Hodges' NL record. 1997 — Kevin Brown threw a no-hitter and kept himself from a perfect game by hitting a batter in the eighth inning, leading the Florida Marlins over the San Francisco Giants 9-0. 2005 — Baltimore's 4-3 win over Cincinnati marked the first time that three 500-homer players appeared in the same game — the Orioles' Sammy Sosa (580) and Rafael Palmeiro (559), and the Reds' Ken Griffey, who hit a solo shot in the eighth inning for No. 511. 2006 — Reggie Sanders became the fifth player in major league history with 300 homers and 300 stolen bases when he hit a two-run shot in Kansas City's 9-5 loss to Tampa Bay. Sanders homered off Chad Harville in the ninth to reach the milestone joining Barry Bonds, Willie Mays, Andre Dawson and Bobby Bonds. 2011 — Tony La Russa managed his 5,000th game when the St. Louis Cardinals lost to the Milwaukee Brewers 8-0. La Russa complied a 2,676-2,324 record with the White Sox, Athletics and Cardinals. Only Connie Mack managed more games with 7,755 over 53 years. 2012 — Frankie Vanderka threw a three-hitter, Travis Jankowski had four hits and Stony Brook completed an improbable run to the College World Series with a 7-2 victory over LSU in the deciding game of the Baton Rouge super regional. Stony Brook became only the second team to open the tournament as a No. 4 seed in the regional round and advance to the World Series. The first was Fresno State during its stunning 2008 run to a national title. 2019 — The Diamondbacks and Phillies play 'Home Run Derby' at Citizens Bank Park, in a 13 - 8 win by the D-Backs. Arizona opens the game with three straight homers off Jerad Eickhoff, by Jarrod Dyson, Ketel Marte and David Peralta, on their way to hitting 8 long balls. The Phillies reply with 5 of their own, including two by Scott Kingery, but it's not enough on a night when balls are flying out of the park right and left. Eduardo Escobar homers from different sides of the plate in consecutive innings for Arizona, and Ildemaro Vargas also homers twice. The combined 13 homers set a new major league record. The D-Backs had been the last team to open a game with three dingers, back on July 21, 2017. 2020 — Because of the ongoing coronavirus pandemic, the 2020 Amateur draft is held virtually and limited to five rounds.
New York Times
08-06-2025
- Sport
- New York Times
It's easy to dream on Pete Crow-Armstrong's potential; plus, Coco claims French
The Pulse Newsletter 📣 | This is The Athletic's daily sports newsletter. Sign up here to receive The Pulse directly in your inbox. Good morning! Play good defense today. Shohei Ohtani is stuck in second in the National League in wins above replacement so far this year. The man ahead of him is 23-year-old Cubs center fielder Pete Crow-Armstrong, at 3.8, per FanGraphs. In his sophomore season, Crow-Armstrong has been a top-25 offensive producer by wRC+, with lots of pop making up for a mere .313 on-base percentage. But his sublime defense has elevated him to the highest tier of player value. Advertisement In the outfield, PCA was built for an era with modern tracking stats that highlight his fielding brilliance. I sometimes ponder how Willie Mays' legendary defense might be considered even better if he'd played in a time of more robust tracking. PCA lives in that world. He has 96th-percentile sprint speed and 94th-percentile arm strength, per Statcast, yet those physical gifts don't fully explain it. He is a ball-tracking wizard who gets a quantifiably great jump and chases line drives like prey. I can click over to Baseball Savant and see that he's created more Outs Above Average than any other center fielder. I can see that on balls with a zero to 25 percent chance of an out, PCA has recorded six outs, double anyone else. I can pull up video of a liner with a 10 percent catch probability that PCA didn't even need to dive to grab: Given that this defense is paired so far with one of the best bats in the league, I am letting myself get carried away. I asked Eno Sarris, The Athletic's senior writer covering baseball analytics and co-host of 'Rates & Barrels,' if I am ridiculous for thinking of Cooperstown: 💬 Crow-Armstrong is probably the best defensive player in baseball. It's important to be excited about PCA and what he can do, but also realistic about his flaws and why it's difficult to say he might be a Hall of Famer. Eno noted that PCA's rest-of-season FanGraphs projections (roughly a 106 wRC+ and 2.6 additional WAR) are quite similar to those of Brenton Doyle, the defense-first Rockies center fielder whom nobody is projecting for the Hall of Fame. Other comparisons: Parker Meadows, Luis Robert Jr., Josh Lowe and Cedric Mullins. Nice players, not future Hall members: 💬 Projections are the best way to get a handle on a player's true talent. They can look at the component abilities a player is showing and regress them each according to how much signal usually comes across in those categories. For example, PCA had a .557 slugging percentage entering the weekend, but his exit velocities and launch angles suggest he's more of a .450 slugging guy going forward. With a 25 percent strikeout rate, too, you'd expect his batting average to regress. Advertisement So, was my expensive dinner bet with a friend last weekend — that PCA will make the Hall by his 10th year after retirement — a waste of a few hundred bucks? Not so fast: 💬 You have to leave room for improvement for a 23-year-old, though. And if PCA continues to hit for more power and strike out less, there is a pathway that ends in enshrinement. If the defense stays elite all the way through, he could make a case like the ones made by Ozzie Smith, Alan Trammell and Luis Aparacio, though with more power and in the outfield. But making incremental improvements to some of his underlying offensive skills would make it all more likely. I continue to believe I'll get a free meal by approximately 2048. He's a star Gauff claims French Open title Coco Gauff, the 21-year-old American sensation, pulled off the upsetagainst an error-prone Aryna Sabalenka yesterday to win her second Grand Slam singles title. Sabalenka claimed a tight first set, and then her game started to unravel as the wind picked up on Court Philippe Chatrier. Gauff made the adjustment, while Sabalenka let her frustrations fester. Listen to the latest episode of 'The Tennis Podcast'for a full breakdown on Gauff's incredible comeback. Sabalenka was … salty. 'She (Gauff) won the match not because she played incredible, just because I made all of those mistakes.' Some of these quotes are … yikes. But Coco's title is far from a fluke. Sovereignty trumps Journalism at the Belmont Much like the Kentucky Derby, Journalism entered yesterday's Belmont Stakes as the clear favorite. And in a very similar result to what transpired at Churchill Downs last month, Sovereignty surged down the stretch to beat Journalism by three lengths. Sovereignty could very well have been running for the Triple Crown last night if he had not been held out of the Preakness Stakes. The downtime clearly paid off, however. Advertisement More news: Aaron Rodgers officially signed his one-year contract with the Steelers yesterday. The deal includes $10 million guaranteed with a chance to be worth nearly double that. (Reminder: This and alllinks below free to read. Enjoy.) USMNT lost its opening match of the summer, a 2-1 defeat to Turkey in a friendly. Coach Mauricio Pochettino is the first U.S. coach with a three-game losing streak in his first 10 games since 1975. 📺 Golf: Canadian Open, final round | 1 p.m. ET on CBS The national opens are some of the best PGA Tour events each year, and the Canadian — which leads into the U.S. Open next week — always makes for a great scene on Sunday. Hopefully no security guards will bodyslam any excited players on the 18th green. The top of the leaderboard is light on big names, but it'll be fun. 📺 NBA: Pacers at Thunder, Game 2 | 8 p.m. ET on ABC The Pacers led Game 1 for 0.3 seconds, but they were the right 0.3 seconds. I anticipate a Game 2 romp for the Thunder, which would set up a long series. But OKC needs more from SGA. Get tickets to games like these here. Elise Devlin's insightful Q&A with former Iowa women's basketball coach Lisa Bluder on how you lead an elite performer while maintaining a program-wide culture. I finally finished 'Andor' last week. (Shout-out to the McLaren F1 factories used for some of the sets.) That got me back on a 'Star Wars' comics binge — specifically, Charles Soule's runs on Darth Vader and post-'The Empire Strikes Back.' Best Star Wars writer going. A Soule-ful writer, if you will. (Sorry.) — Patrick Iversen The new NWSL side Boston Legacy FC has learned an important lesson before even signing a single player: It's OK to try again. I read this piece weeks ago but am still thinking about it. Richard Sutcliffe wrote about how the Chernobyl nuclear disaster affected a soccer team and a stadium (that was never used). The pictures are haunting. — Kevin Coulson Ceviche as a concept. It's brutally hot here in Louisiana already, and ceviche is simply a perfect summer dish. — Chris Branch Talking to a friend on best true crime podcasts this week I found myself saying, 'Serial is the brand benchmark but 'In The Dark' Season 2 melted my brain.' So I'll type it here. Listen and tell me if I'm wrong. — Chris Sprow Advertisement Do Knicks and Timberwolves fans need solace? They both won the Karl-Anthony Towns-Julius Randle trade. Most-clicked in the newsletter yesterday: Mark Lazerus' column on the Stars firing Pete DeBoer. Most-read on the website yesterday: The live blog of Coco Gauff's win. Ticketing links in this article are provided by partners of The Athletic. Restrictions may apply. The Athletic maintains full editorial independence. Partners have no control over or input into the reporting or editing process and do not review stories before publication.
Yahoo
03-06-2025
- Business
- Yahoo
Top 5 chase cards in 2025 Topps Sterling Baseball: Ohtani, Judge, Mays & more
Topps Sterling Baseball is back for 2025, and as always, it's bringing the heat for collectors. Dropping June 4, this year's release maintains the premium feel fans expect. Each hobby box delivers two autographed relic cards, all numbered to 25 or fewer, featuring a stacked lineup of today's biggest stars, legendary greats, and rising talent. New additions to the checklist include a nod to Shohei Ohtani's incredible 50/50 season with the 'Club Charter Member Autograph' set, as well as 'Legendary Cut Signature Jumbo Patch' cards that pair iconic Hall of Famers with eye-catching memorabilia. With one-of-one gems like bat knobs, nameplates, and jersey letter patches also in the mix, 2025 Sterling is shaping up to be one of the most exciting high-end releases of the year. Advertisement Here are the top 5 cards to chase in this year's set and why each one deserves a spot on your radar. 1. Shohei Ohtani – Game-Used Kanji Bat Relic with Kanji Autograph This card is nothing short of a masterpiece. Featuring a game-used bat inscribed with Japanese Kanji alongside a matching Kanji autograph from Shohei Ohtani, it captures the full scope of his cultural and on-field impact. It's an ultra-rare piece that feels more like a museum artifact than a trading card. With Ohtani coming off a record-setting 50/50 season and continuing to reshape the sport, this is easily one of the most coveted cards in the entire 2025 hobby landscape. Shohei Ohtani – Game-Used Kanji Bat Relic with Kanji Autograph (Topps) 2. Willie Mays & John F. Kennedy – Dual Cut Autograph ("A Moment in Time" Insert) This card defines historic. Part of the new 'A Moment in Time' checklist, this dual cut auto pairs two American icons, Willie Mays and President John F. Kennedy, on a single card. It commemorates their legendary meeting at the White House in 1962, blending sports and politics in a way few collectibles ever have. With Mays' recent passing and JFK's eternal legacy, this card feels like a snapshot of a golden era frozen in cardboard. It's exceptionally rare and will undeniably be one of the most significant pulls in 2025 Topps Sterling. Willie Mays & John F. Kennedy – Dual Cut Autograph ("A Moment in Time" Insert) (Topps) 3. Aaron Judge – Nameplate Game-Used Bat Autograph When it comes to modern-day sluggers, few names carry more weight than Aaron Judge, and this card does his legacy justice. Featuring a game-used bat nameplate paired with Judge's on-card autograph, it's a powerhouse piece that feels as bold as his presence in the batter's box. The oversized bat letter relic adds a raw, physical element that collectors love, especially when it's tied to one of the most feared hitters of the era. With the Yankees chasing another deep postseason run, this card hits all the right notes: star power, game-used material, and a clean, hard-signed auto. Aaron Judge – Nameplate Game-Used Bat Autograph (Topps) 4. Mookie Betts – Game-Used Bat Knob Auto 1/1 Bat knob cards have always held a special place in high-end products, and this Mookie Betts 1-of-1 is no exception. Showcasing the end cap of a game-used bat, this card captures a piece of history from the Dodgers' World Series-winning season. From MVP seasons to clutch postseason moments, Mookie continues to cement his place among the game's elite. The sheer rarity of a bat knob card and Mookie Betts Topps autographs, combined with his continued dominance at the plate and in the field, makes this an instant centerpiece for any serious collection. Mookie Betts – Game-Used Bat Knob Auto 1/1 (Topps) 5. Shohei Ohtani – Charter Member 50/50 Club Autograph Capping off our list is another jaw-dropper from Ohtani, this time celebrating his historic entrance into the exclusive 50/50 Club as its founding member. This insert, new to the 2025 Sterling lineup, honors his unprecedented feat of 50 home runs and 50 stolen bases in a single season. The card features a sleek, modern design with a bold on-card autograph, cementing Ohtani's place in baseball lore. It's not just a tribute—it's a time capsule marking a season that redefined what's possible on a diamond. Shohei Ohtani – Charter Member 50/50 Club Autograph (Topps) 2025 Topps Sterling Baseball is shaping up to be one of the most exciting releases of the year. Whether you're chasing legends, marveling at Ohtani's greatness, or just in it for the thrill of the rip, there's something in this set for every collector. And when you hit something big, or just want to show off your latest pickups, be sure to post it on Mantel. Mantel is the go-to app for collectors to connect, share, and celebrate the hobby. Your collection deserves a community. Download Mantel today.
San Francisco Chronicle
03-06-2025
- Lifestyle
- San Francisco Chronicle
Letters: How a trans high school athlete is making me rethink my sports fandom
Regarding 'Trans athlete embraced as California track and field champion by peers while adult activists duel' (High School, June 1): As a child in the 1960s, my hero was Willie Mays. As an adult and 72-year-old lifetime sports fan, I had no sports heroes — until now. The accomplishments of Jurupa Valley High School track standout and trans female AB Hernandez at the state championship made me reconsider my hiatus from worshipping athletes. As a high-jumper, long-jumper and triple-jumper, AB has persevered and soared (pun intended), while tolerating the relentless bigotry, hatred, religious intolerance, transphobia and the profound ignorance of adults led, shamefully, by our president. These adults not only protest against this young woman's participation in sports, they deny her very existence. Let me add Brooke White as a sports hero. The cisgender River City High-West Sacramento long jumper who competed with AB said, 'Sharing the podium was nothing but an honor … she's a superstar, she's a rockstar, she's representing who she is.' As for 'local right-wing activist and blogger Josh Fulfer,' who says young people like White have a 'fear of speaking out' and need 'adults in the room to be the voice for them,' I trust these young people to get this right. Condescending bigots like Fulfer notwithstanding. Barry Goldman-Hall, San Jose Refocus LGBTQ+ lens Most of the LGBTQ+ community are just people living their lives openly and freely. Drag and being trans are a part of this community, but it is a small part. During this time of assault against the LGBTQ+ community, it may be smart to focus on people such as Sam Altman, CEO of OpenAI, or Tim Cook, CEO of Apple. Emphasizing drag and trans people adds fuel to the fire that President Donald Trump is igniting around the country. This is the mistake that the Democratic Party made, and look where it got them. Gloria Judd, San Francisco Losing small-town charm Regarding 'A luxury hotel could transform this California town. Some residents are fighting back' (Bay Area, May 30): When I moved to Petaluma in 1986, it still had the feel of a small town. That, of course, has changed. But, until recently, it still had the feel of a town whose stores and restaurants were there to serve the people of Petaluma, not tourists. Petaluma used to have visitors. People from the Bay Area who wanted to see the Butter and Eggs Day parade or the antiques fair or just visit family. We had some nice clothing stores and some decent, unpretentious restaurants. Now we have trendy boutiques and expensive, fancy restaurants that bring in rich tourists. It's a sad commentary if the only way a city can survive is with an economy based on tourism. As a society, our hobbies are now eating, drinking and shopping. And we like to travel all over the world to do it. Sometimes, change is good. Sometimes, it means improvement. But sometimes, it means taking something fine and twisting it to meet the demands of a privileged few who are just trying to make more money. Gail Sickler, Petaluma Hold a benefit concert The Golden Gate Park shows by Dead & Company have stirred up a lot of debate and anger about high ticket prices, especially since the original band used to play there for free. But there's one option that might take away some of the rancor and keep with the original band's ethos: Make at least one of the three shows a benefit concert. There are plenty of worthy organizations, soon to be more needy than ever in these trying MAGA times. There's also the Dead's longstanding and fine Rex Foundation.
