There *Is* Crying in Baseball

Today is the birthday of Johnny Lee “Blue Moon” Odom, born in Macon, Georgia, 1945.

Less than a year after police turned high-pressure fire hoses, unleashed dogs, and fired rubber bullets on civil rights protesters, and the Klan set off a bomb in the basement of the 16th Street Baptist Church, “Blue Moon” Odom arrived in Birmingham, Alabama to play baseball.

Odom, whose nickname evolved from an elementary school taunt — “Moon Head” — to the gentler “Blue Moon” that he became fond of, saw two paths out of the South: music, or baseball. He worshipped Otis Redding and Little Richard, but after his voice changed, he went all-in on sports. At Ballard-Hudson High School, he went 42-2 and threw eight no-hitters. His best weapon was a sinking fastball — so confounding that Major League Baseball once investigated whether it was a spitter, which was illegal.

Word spread fast about the pitcher from Macon. Athletics owner Charlie Finley was so excited by Odom as a prospect that he flew to his hometown, helped Odom’s mother Florine cook in their family’s kitchen, then offered her son a $75,000 signing bonus, the largest sum ever given to a black prospect at the time.

Playing for the Birmingham Barons didn’t shield him from the South’s old order — not in the clubhouse, not on the street. He was once pulled over by a policeman without reason, who — after realizing who he was — let him go with a warning, “This is Birmingham, Alabama. It’s real important you stay in the nigger part of town.”

After bouncing up and down from the minors for two years, Odom completed a full season in the majors in 1966. He finished with a sparkling 2.47 ERA but still had not firmly cemented his place on the A’s roster. Deserved or not, his leash was short. In 1967, Odom was demoted by manager Alvin Dark.

Once again, Odom used the unkindness directed towards him as fuel. He tallied 16 wins in 1968 and tossed a one-hitter against Baltimore. An All Star in ’68 and ’69, Odom earned five wins – four of which were shutouts – against the Indians, Dark’s new team.

One of his best seasons came after a near tragedy. In January 1972, three youths broke into a house near Odom’s offseason home in Macon. Blue Moon ran after the trio, one of whom turned and shot Odom in the neck. He fully recovered by spring training and won three consecutive World Series with the A’s.

Odom played through more than most. The shot to the neck, the slights and suspicions, the short leash. And when it was over, it caught up with him.

After baseball, Odom struggled. He was arrested twice — once for selling cocaine, and again, while awaiting trial, for threatening his wife with a shotgun. He spent time in rehab and jail.

“What happened in the past probably happened for the best,” Odom said. “It made a better man out of me.”

Harper injured, Colorado hits rock bottom, and yes, there is crying in baseball

• Rock Bottom – The Colorado Rockies are the first team in 130 years to have single-digit wins through 55 games. They have also broken the MLB record for most consecutive series lost. Colorado is 1-14 since firing manager Bud Black.

• Harper Injured – Phillies star Bryce Harper has a right elbow contusion, and his x-rays came back negative, after Braves ace Spencer Strider hit him with this pitch. Strider’s response: “I’m not a complete sociopath.”

• Atlanta All-Star Plans Announced – The league announced specifics around its 2025 All-Star Legacy Initiative in Atlanta, including fan giveaways, fitness programs for veterans, a sensory space and multiple field renovations.

• There is Crying in Baseball – Marlins rookie ronny Simon had a rough night on Tuesday, committing three errors. Manager Clayton McCullough and the team had his back and offered encouragement.

• MLB 🤝 AUSL – Major League Baseball has purchased an equity stake in Athletes Unlimited Softball League. With women’s sports rising in popularity and profitability, it’s a play to the future for both leagues.

5/29/2025

Stricklett Throws the First Major League Spitball

• 1905 — In a game agains the New York Giants, Elmer Stricklett, pitcher for the Brooklyn Robins, throws a pitch across the plate that moves in ways no one has quite seen before. Some historians come to regard the pitch as the first ever spitball in a major league game. Fifteen years later, a spitball thrown by Carl Mays struck Ray Chapman in the head during a poorly lit game. Chapman died the next day. That year, the spitball was banned.