Jazz bassist Esperanza Spalding was the guest for Wait Wait Don’t Tell Me‘s Not My Job segment last week. So the writer thought it would be cute…
PETER SAGAL: Second base is baseball, the great American pastime.
SPALDING: Oh no.
SAGAL: One of the worst baseball players ever was one Smead Jolley. Mr. Jolly was an outfielder during the 1930s, and he is famous in baseball history as being the only major-league player ever to do what? A, to run the bases backwards – third to second to first, where he was easily put out…
(LAUGHTER)
SAGAL: …B, while playing the outfield, he committed three errors all by himself on one play or C, once again in the outfield he missed an easy pop fly because he was busy trying to teach a pigeon a trick.
(LAUGHTER)
SPALDING: I think I’m going to go with the first one. He ran the bases backward.
SAGAL: Following your instincts has brought you everywhere you are today, so who am I to argue? In this case, of course, you were wrong. He…
(LAUGHTER)
SAGAL: …Committed three errors all by himself. This is what happened – grounder to outfielder, goes through his legs, first error. He turns around, it bounces off the outfield wall, rolls back towards him, goes through his legs again…
SPALDING: Amazing.
SAGAL: …Second error. Finally, he grabs the ball, throws it to the cutoff man, sails it way over his head – three errors, one play, never been surpassed. All right…
SPALDING: Wow.
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