“Little League Strikeouts Ain’t Pretty,” by Robert L. Harrison
Posted: September 26, 2020 Filed under: Pop culture | Tags: Baseball, Little League, Little League Baseball, poetry, Robert L. Harrison, sports Leave a commentTo be fair, a strikeout at any level is rarely pretty — at least, if you’re the batter. This piece by Robert Harrison was published in January 2013.
*
With sadness I report
about the last ball
your son bought
It was both high and low
and curved before
the final blow
It was flying fast
a white meteor
that he let pass
And so I say with pity
that this scene
was not too pretty
For even I did cry
after he let
that ball go by
Quote of the day
Posted: September 24, 2020 Filed under: Quote of the day | Tags: Baseball, Cy Young, Major League Baseball, MLB, quotes, sports 1 CommentAll us Youngs could throw. I used to kill squirrels with a stone when I was a kid, and my granddad once killed a turkey buzzard on the fly with a rock.
~Cy Young
Fundamentals
Posted: September 22, 2020 Filed under: Pop culture, Uncategorized | Tags: Baseball, comics, humor, Roy Delgado, sports 2 CommentsThat must’ve been a loooooong winter.
This day in baseball: Connie Mack to the Brewers
Posted: September 21, 2020 Filed under: 19th Century, This day in baseball | Tags: Baseball, Connie Mack, history, Major League Baseball, Milwaukee Brewers, Minor League Baseball, MLB, Pittsburgh Pirates, Western League Leave a commentOn September 21, 1896, Connie Mack announced his intention to leave the Pirates in order to manage the minor-league Milwaukee Brewers of the Western League. Mack thus retired as a full-time player to accept his new role, which included a $3,000 a year salary and 25% ownership of the club. He managed the Brewers for four seasons from 1897 to 1900, their best year coming in 1900, when they finished second.
Connie Mack baseball card, 1887 (Wikimedia Commons)
Roger Angell turns 100
Posted: September 19, 2020 Filed under: 20th Century, 21st Century | Tags: Baseball, Baseball Writers Association of America, J.G. Taylor Spink Award, Major League Baseball, MLB, Roger Angell, Shrine of the Eternals, writing 4 CommentsRoger Angell was born on September 19, 1920 in New York, New York, and he is considered one of the best baseball writers of all time. And while my exposure to Angell’s writing is admittedly limited, I’ve read enough to know that I need to read more. His pieces contain a significant amount of detail and his passion for the game shines through with every line.
Angell has received a number of awards for his writing, including the George Polk Award for Commentary in 1980, the Kenyon Review Award for Literary Achievement in 2005, and the inaugural PEN/ESPN Lifetime Achievement Award for Literary Sports Writing in 2011. He was inducted into the Baseball Reliquary’s Shrine of the Eternals in 2010, and in 2014 he was awarded the J. G. Taylor Spink Award by the Baseball Writers’ Association of America.
Happy Birthday, Mr. Angell.
Sport Illustrated
Quote of the day
Posted: September 18, 2020 Filed under: Uncategorized 2 CommentsGood fielding and pitching, without hitting, or vice versa, is like Ben Franklin’s half a pair of scissors — ineffectual.
~Moe Berg
Wikimedia Commons
2020 Postseason schedule
Posted: September 16, 2020 Filed under: 21st Century | Tags: American League, Baseball, coronavirus, COVID-19, Major League Baseball, MLB, National League, sports, World Series Leave a commentIn case you missed it, Major League Baseball announced the tentative 2020 postseason schedule yesterday. I confess, I never expected that baseball would make it this far in the midst of the pandemic, and yet, here we are. This unusual year just keeps getting more interesting.
Buckle up. This postseason is going to be wild. pic.twitter.com/IOTjCJ4InI
— MLB (@MLB) September 15, 2020
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This day in baseball: Burns’s triple play
Posted: September 14, 2020 Filed under: 20th Century, This day in baseball | Tags: Baseball, Boston Red Sox, Cleveland Indians, Frank Brower, George Burns, history, Major League Baseball, MLB, Riggs Stephenson, Rube Lutzke, sports Leave a commentRed Sox first baseman George Burns completed an unassisted triple play against the Indians on September 14, 1923. To accomplish the feat, Burns snared Frank Brower’s line drive, he then tagged Rube Lutzke coming from first, and and finally beat Riggs Stephenson in a sprint back to second.
George Burns in 1921 (Wikipedia)
Quote of the day
Posted: September 12, 2020 Filed under: Quote of the day | Tags: Baseball, Major League Baseball, Mickey Mantle, MLB, New York Yankees, quotes, sports Leave a commentA team is where a boy can prove his courage on his own. A gang is where a coward goes to hide.
~Mickey Mantle
Concessions
Posted: September 10, 2020 Filed under: Pop culture | Tags: Baseball, comics, humor, In the Bleachers, Steve Moore Leave a commentOne of the benefits of not being able to attend ballgames in person definitely comes in the form of money saved on concessions.
Steve Moore
