One for the record books

[redsmetz]

Last week, it was reported that the Elias Sports Bureau had made some adjustments to totals from the 1961 season.

Mantle had a run taken away from him, wrongly noted 2 RBI's for him in a game. Dropping that, moves Mantle & Maris out of a tie for runs scored that season. Likewise, Maris had an RBI credited it to him on a play where an error was made. It meant that Maris shared the RBI crown with Jim Gentile of the Baltimore Orioles.

That brings us to today's story in the NY Times. Gentiles 1961 season was among his best, as the story notes, and GM Lee McPhail had told Gentile that had he led the league in RBI's that previous season, he would have given him $5000 more than the raise he got. Well with the adjustment to the salary, the Orioles this week honored Gentile at a game and Orioles President Andy McPhail (Lee's son) presented him with a check for $5000. Kudos to the Orioles.

[BCubb2003]

And then signed him as a DH? Seriously though, it's a classy, fun thing they did.

[VR]

And then signed him as a DH? Seriously though, it's a classy, fun thing they did.

That's the coolest baseball story I've seen in a quite a while. Good on the Orioles.

[Chip R]

Well with the adjustment to the salary, the Orioles this week honored Gentile at a game and Orioles President Andy McPhail (Lee's son) presented him with a check for $5000. Kudos to the Orioles.

What, no interest?

[redsmetz]

What, no interest?

You make a point that crossed my mind. Five grand in 1961 is the equivalent of almost $36,000 today and that's without interest; that's just inflation. This per
http://www.westegg.com/inflation/ - you put in the $5000 for now (actually only goes to 2009) and then put 1961 as the close date and it gives the reverse amount. Still, I'm sure Gentile isn't complaining.

[TeamBoone]

Question: what prompted the retro look at these stats from 1961?

[IslandRed]

I saw the "what, no interest?" comments a lot on the story I'd initially read, and I have to admit the thought occurred to me also. But it's important to remember the Orioles didn't really owe him anything. This wasn't an agreed-upon-beforehand bonus or promise that they welshed on because he was one RBI short. This was Gentile getting a raise the next spring from $15,000 to $30,000 and McPhail making a wisecrack about how it could have been $5,000 higher if he'd won the RBI title. I think the Orioles did right.

[redsmetz]

I saw the "what, no interest?" comments a lot on the story I'd initially read, and I have to admit the thought occurred to me also. But it's important to remember the Orioles didn't really owe him anything. This wasn't an agreed-upon-beforehand bonus or promise that they welshed on because he was one RBI short. This was Gentile getting a raise the next spring from $15,000 to $30,000 and McPhail making a wisecrack about how it could have been $5,000 higher if he'd won the RBI title. I think the Orioles did right.

Absolutely, they were under no contractual obligation to do this. That's what make it such a good story.

Here is the baseball-reference.com blog about this. Apparently the first error was discovered 15 years ago and published in a newsletter. I guess this just made it official.

[George Anderson]

Question: what prompted the retro look at these stats from 1961?

I thought the exact same thing.

I love baseball history but thumbing through an entire seasons worth of games, checking box scores and counting RBI's sounds painfully boring to me.

[KronoRed]

I like it, I hold out a small hope that Hank Aaron has 8 missing home runs somewhere