This Was the First Memorial Day in 140 Years Without Big League Baseball

In Tuesday’s Hot Clicks: MLB’s Memorial Day streak is broken, a whole stadium is available on Airbnb and more.

Let’s not repeat this on the Fourth of July

Memorial Day felt surreal this year for a number of obvious reasons, but the lack of baseball to watch while you flipped burgers may have flown under the radar. While the rhythm of baseball’s usual daily presence can make it blend into the background in normal years, its continued absence has similarly become an expected part of our lives. So you can be forgiven for not realizing you should have been watching baseball all afternoon yesterday. 

The lack of big league games was historic, though. It was the first time since 1880 that there were no major league games on Memorial Day. 

Today is the first Memorial Day without a Major League Baseball game since 1880.

— OptaSTATS (@OptaSTATS) May 25, 2020

The last time there was no baseball on Memorial Day, it wasn’t even called Memorial Day. We were still calling it “Decoration Day” (the holiday has its roots as a day for decorating the graves of fallen soldiers). The Grand Army of the Republic first suggested calling the holiday “Memorial Day” in 1882. 

The last Memorial Day without baseball came 21 years before the founding of the American League, back when the National League had teams in Providence, Worcester and Troy. Old Hoss Radbourn, the Hall of Fame pitcher who once threw 73 complete games in a single season and later inspired a great Twitter account, played his first big league season that year—but only as an outfielder and first baseman with a dismal batting line. There were players that year nicknamed Orator Shafer, Tricky Nichols, Chub Sullivan, Dude Esterbrook and Buttercup Dickerson.

So yeah, it was a long time ago.

Memorial Day baseball survived two world wars and numerous labor disputes between players and owners. It took a global health emergency to shut it down. 

But baseball will come back—perhaps in time for the Fourth of July—and when it does, no one will take holiday games for granted. 

The best of SI

Tom Verducci spoke with Vin Scully about the return of baseball. ... The Tiger-Peyton—Phil-Tom match reminds us what golf is all about. ... Bruno Caboclo, famously deemed “four years away,” is still searching for stardom six years later.

Around the sports world

Dayn Perry of CBS Sports has a nice rundown of great Memorial Day baseball moments. ... A 20-year-old Special Olympian is training to become the first person with Down syndrome to complete an Ironman triathlon. ... A minor league baseball team put its stadium on Airbnb, and it’s already booked solid. ... Former NFL head coach Mike Singletary has resigned from his job coaching a Texas high school team after winning just one game in two years.

A ton of people watched the Brady-Mickelson—Peyton-Tiger match

Huge TV numbers for “The Match:” Champions for Charity:

* 5.8 million viewers; most-watched golf event in cable TV history, TNT says.

* Peak of 6.3 million viewers (5:45-6p ET).

— John Ourand (@Ourand_Puck) May 25, 2020

How to hit a chip shot, according to Phil

Phil’s gonna have us here until Thursday with lessons like this, which I’m fine with. pic.twitter.com/2WFjjSvFdp

— Andy Nesbitt (@anezbitt) May 24, 2020

More evidence Peyton Manning is actually funny

Peyton was asked if he wanted to wear black and red like Tiger. The former Tennessee Vol wasn’t having it.
“I’m not gonna let Kirby Smart get a picture of me in black and red for their social media accounts.” @KirbySmartUGA pic.twitter.com/B5CyMh6Vb9

— Maria Martin (@Ria_Martin) May 24, 2020

(I wrote about Peyton’s TV evolution last week.)

Eli Manning joined Twitter just to do sponsored tweets during the Match for a hot sauce company, which is hilarious because there’s no way Eli eats anything spicier than black pepper

Is it normal to finish an entire bottle of @FranksRedHot in 5 holes? Asking for a friend. #FranksRedHotPartner #TweetSomeHeat

— Eli Manning (@EliManning) May 24, 2020

He wanted all of that one—and he got it

Jose Miguel Fernandez swung at (and mashed) this ball so hard he almost ended up in the opponents dugout.

He's currently slashing .476/.529/.730 through 15 games. pic.twitter.com/MX5v9oqDgA

— Alex Fast (@AlexFast8) May 23, 2020

I’d learn to skate just to lace them up here

Not sports

An earthquake hit while New Zealand’s prime minister was on live TV, and she barely batted an eye. ... A heartwarming and widely viewed ad for Facebook was filled with fake posts in nonexistent groups. ... The remains of 60 mammoths were discovered during construction of an airport in Mexico.

You done goofed 

Uncut Gems just became available on Netflix, and if you haven’t seen it yet you need to rectify that ASAP

Remote-controlled plane hits 500 mph

Please let the pope do this

if we only keep one thing from this pandemic, i hope it’s priests with water pistols pic.twitter.com/2LNCjqEFtc

— beth (@bethbourdon) May 24, 2020

A good song

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