Civil War

Today marks the 152nd anniversary of the start of the bloodiest four years in American history. For more than 100 years the estimated death toll of the American Civil War stood at just under 619,000. It’s hard to believe but that number is nearly as many American soldiers killed in all the other wars this country has fought combined – World Wars One and Two, Korea, Vietnam, Iraq, Afghanistan, Mexican War, Spanish American War….just an incredible number of lives lost….Americans killing Americans.

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A little bit of history you may not have known.  As battles during the Civil War intensified in Virginia, Robert E. Lee and his wife fled their estate overlooking Washington, D.C.  In 1863 the U.S. government confiscated the entire 11-hundred acre estate for non-payment of $92 in taxes. 

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Baseball has a rich history.  With the All-Star game being played last night I thought we’d go over some of the more unusual historical items in baseball you probably didn’t know.

In the early days of baseball, the umpire sat behind home plate in a padded rocking chair.

Babe Ruth was the first baseball player to order a bat with a knob on it. He put in his order to Louisville Slugger and he used one for the first time in 1919.

Spitballs were banned in 1920, but pitchers who already used them were allowed to continue.  Kinda like a grandfather clause.  Hall of Fame pitcher Burleigh Grimes continued to used a spit ball for the next fourteen years.  He finished his career with the Yankees in 1934.

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It’s Memorial Day weekend, a weekend filled with parties, picnics and most importantly memorial services. We’ve all heard many times that freedom is not free and this weekend we all should take time to reflect on those great folks that have given their lives to fight for this great country and maintain the freedom that we all sometimes take for granted.

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