Quote of the day
Posted: December 30, 2014 Filed under: Quote of the day | Tags: Baseball, quotes, Tom Swyers Leave a commentWorrying about things you can’t control is a waste both on the baseball field and in life.
~Tom Swyers
TomSwyers.com
This day in baseball: Bellán’s professional debuts
Posted: December 29, 2014 Filed under: 19th Century, This day in baseball | Tags: Baseball, Cuba, Esteban Bellán, history, National Association of Base Ball Players, National Association of Professional Base Ball Players, Professional Baseball League of Cuba, sports 7 CommentsThe first game of the Professional Baseball League of Cuba was played in Havana on December 29, 1878. Led by player-manager Esteban Bellán, Habana defeated Almendares, 21-20. Bellán had also been the first Latin-born player to play in the American major leagues, spending three years in the National Association of Base Ball Players (NABBP) from 1868 to 1870, and three years in the National Association of Professional Base Ball Players (NAPBBP) from 1871 to 1873.
Esteban Bellán (Fordham University Libraries)
“A Dying Cub Fan’s Last Request,” by Steve Goodman
Posted: December 28, 2014 Filed under: Pop culture | Tags: Baseball, Chicago Cubs, music, Steve Goodman 2 CommentsPoor Cubs fans. Their struggle and persistent heartbreak continues to be subject to commentary and pop culture references. I particularly like the “ivy-covered burial ground” line in this song.
Quote of the day
Posted: December 26, 2014 Filed under: Quote of the day | Tags: Baseball, Nolan Ryan, quotes, Reggie Jackson 2 CommentsEvery hitter likes fastballs, just like everybody likes ice cream. But you don’t like it when someone’s stuffing it into you by the gallon. That’s what it feels like when Nolan Ryan’s thrown balls by you.
~Reggie Jackson
Wikimedia Commons
Happy Holidays…
Posted: December 24, 2014 Filed under: Uncategorized | Tags: Baseball 2 Comments…from The Baseball Attic! May yours be filled with joy and sweet dreams about Spring Training!
The Atlantic on baseball cards
Posted: December 22, 2014 Filed under: Pop culture | Tags: Baseball, baseball cards, history, Joe Pinsker, The Atlantic 1 CommentA good friend of mine shared this article from The Atlantic with me. As a kid, I once dabbled in the possibility of beginning a card collection — not just in baseball cards, but in football as well. The hobby never took off for me, however, and I’m sure my lack of interest was due to impatience and restlessness more than anything else. Nevertheless, in the quest to look at baseball as a whole, ignoring the role of baseball cards and their collectors would be a foolish move to make. In his article, Pinsker talks about the relationship between card collecting and capitalism, which is all-too-appropriate considering that Major League Baseball is one of the largest conglomerates in the United States.
A Cultural History of the Baseball Card, by Joe Pinsker
Baseball cards from 1910 (AP)
Rod Carew’s Hall of Fame induction speech
Posted: December 21, 2014 Filed under: 20th Century | Tags: Baseball, California Angels, Minnesota Twins, National Baseball Hall of Fame, Rod Carew Leave a commentOne of a handful of Latinos in the Baseball Hall of Fame, Rod Carew was inducted into the Hall in 1991. His number 29 was also retired by the California Angels in 1986, and by the Minnesota Twins in 1987. For the most part, his speech is pretty standard, and towards the end, he gives a nod to many of baseball’s greats, naming them off as he accepts his place among them.
