Brightest & Darkest Moments In Baseball History by Baseball Digest : A Legendary List on Baseball Almanac

The Brightest Moments

John Kuenster wrote an excellent article which appeared in the March 1999 issue of Baseball Digest where he discussed the top ten brightest moments and the top ten darkest moments in the history of Major League baseball.

The two lists focused on events which occurred this century and had detailed information on why each was chosen. The following lists are his opinions about those good an bad moments in baseball history.

"Baseball is like a poker game. Nobody wants to quit when he's losing; nobody wants you to quit when you're ahead." - Jackie Robinson

The Brightest Moments By John Kuenster (1999)
#	Bright Moments
1	Jackie Robinson - not just his appearance but his personal demeanor.
2	Mark McGwire and Sammy Sosa's home run chase of the Roger Maris record.
3	Cal Ripken, Jr. breaking Lou Gehrig's consecutive games record.
4	Hank Aaron's seven-hundred and fifteenth lifetime home run.
5	Babe Ruth's home run ability, his love for the game and his way with kids.
6	Bill Veeck's signing and the eventual debut of midget Eddie Gaedel.
7	Curt Flood challenging the major league reserve system.
8	Joe DiMaggio's fifty-six consecutive game hitting streak.
9	Ted Williams's .406 batting average in 1941.
10	The first All Star game in 1933.
The Brightest Moments By John Kuenster

The Darkest Moments By John Kuenster (1999)
#	Dark Moments
1	The 1919 White Sox throwing the World Series.
2	The 1994 Player's Association strike.
3	The death of Ray Chapman who was struck by a Carl Mays pitch in 1920.
4	Walter O'Malley pulling the Dodgers from Brooklyn in 1957.
5	The 1980's much publicized drug abuse problems with popular players.
6	Pete Rose disregarding the rules concerning gambling.
7	The appearance of artificial turf in 1966.
8	Roberto Clemente's sudden death in 1972.
9	Roy Campanella being paralyzed in a car accident in 1958.
10	Lou Gehrig delivering his farewell speech on the 4th of July in Yankee Stadium.
The Darkest Moments By John Kuenster

Other bright moments considered were Don Larsen's perfect game, Bill Mazeroski's World Series home run, the "Shot Heard Round the World", and Johnny Vander Meer's consecutive no hitters.

Number one, Shoeless Joe Jackson et al, and number six Pete Rose, on "The Darkest Moments" were banned from the National Baseball Hall of Fame for life.

Do you have other moments which he should have considered? Share your list of the ten best and worst moments in baseball history on Baseball Fever.

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