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Phillies fans are a passionate lot
As I put my purchase onto the checkout counter at the sporting goods store, the clerk looked me in the eye and said bluntly, “Why did you take Hunter Pence from us?” In a split second, I realized that...
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How to talk to your kids about Richard Sherman
While trying to keep an open mind, I’ve been watching the arguments unfold the past couple of days in the wake of Richard Sherman’s bombastic remarks after the Seahawks defeated the 49ers in the NFC...
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Baseball: The Winter Game
Yes, baseball is the summer game. But that is precisely why it resonates so warmly in the dead of winter for those of us in cold climes. As I write this post on a Sunday morning from my home in New...
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Agreed: The Tribe should retire Chief Wahoo
The Plain Dealer came out forcefully in an editorial Friday recommending that the Cleveland Indians drop their long-serving, cartoonish mascot, Chief Wahoo. I agree. Years ago, I didn’t. I made the...
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My Amerian League picks for the 2014 baseball season
These picks and $4.50 will get you a cup of coffee at Starbucks: East 1. Boston — Sizemore, win more 2. New York — A close second 3. Tampa Bay — Another “so close” season 4. Baltimore — One of these...
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My National League picks for the 2014 baseball season
These picks and $3 will get you a coffee and donut at Dunkin’ Donuts: East 1. Atlanta – Top of a weak heap 2. Washington – They’ll make it interesting 3. New York – Struggle, they will 4. Philadelphia...
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Achieve your dream: Fly to all 30 MLB ballparks
Is there a baseball fan alive who doesn’t want to visit all 30 Major League ballparks? I doubt it. This morning I read in The New York Times about Hopper, an intriguing new site that allows travelers...
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Meet the Mets: A first visit to Citi Field
Spending a day at the ballpark with family is always a treat, and yesterday I had the special pleasure of visiting Citi Field for the first time to catch a game with both my sons. With a temperature in...
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World Cup Coda: Triumph of the Soccer Moms
Defining the meaning of teamwork, Germany won the World Cup today with a thrilling victory over Argentina. In the United States, soccer will recede into the background as a third-rate sport, trailing...
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You can’t slide home again: A trip to the diamond of my youth
The Denison Park baseball field in Cleveland Heights, or what remains of it. Several weeks ago I was back in the neighborhood where I grew up in Cleveland Heights, Ohio, and I took a stroll down Memory...
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Ending the year with the Baseball Solstice: Dec. 31, 2014
The high priests of baseball emerged deep from inside the clubhouse today, where they’ve been holed up since the final out of the World Series to declare Jan. 31 the Baseball Solstice between the 2014...
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Meet the Matz
ballcaps:Another reason to like the Mets. Originally posted on The On Deck Circle: Yesterday afternoon in Queens, New York, starting pitcher Steve Matz, making his Major League debut against the...
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A farewell to the Freak? I hope not
Just yesterday morning, waking up and moping over the morning news that the Giants had fallen to the Dodgers for a second consecutive night, I got to thinking that it would do the world good to see Tim...
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Setting the annual Baseball Solstice
With the temperature flirting with 70 degrees today here in New Jersey, I’m aching for baseball even as I acknowledge we must endure weeks of winter before we hear “Play ball!” again. So it’s high time...
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Flash! It’s the 2016 Baseball Solstice
Happy New Year and Happy Baseball Solstice, everyone! Today — January 1st — not only is the first day of the new calendar year but it’s also the midpoint between the last out of the 2015 World Series...
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The 2016 Baseball Solstice
After the 2016 World Series ended in a nationwide outpouring of anguish over the Cleveland Indians’ heart-rending loss in worldwide jubilation over the Chicago Cubs’ victory ending more than a century...
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On the Fourth, reporting on a first game in Pittsburgh
Here it is, the Fourth of July, 2017, and the day is perfect for baseball. I couldn’t make it out to a game today, but I was able to catch the San Francisco Giants defeat the Pirates 2-1 in Pittsburgh...
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Cleveland’s League Park: A gem restored
I wore my old-time “skimmer” — just like the “cranks” who followed baseball early in the 20th century — to the refurbished League Park in Cleveland. The infield can be seen to the right beyond the...
View ArticleCelebrate the baseball solstice (and put a new equinox on your calendar)
Today, Dec. 28, 2017, marks the annual Baseball Solstice. That’s the mid-point day between the last out of the World Series and the first exhibition game or games of Spring Training. The World Series...
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The joy of throwing a ball at a wall
Just as I did 1,000 times as a kid, today I threw a rubber baseball against a wall. Growing up, I spent countless hours practicing my pitching and fielding by throwing a rubber baseball or tennis ball...
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