Quote of the day
Posted: August 31, 2020 Filed under: Quote of the day | Tags: Baseball, Chadwick Boseman, Jackie Robinson, Major League Baseball, MLB, quotes, sports Leave a commentSome people would view Jackie Robinson as a very safe African-American, a docile figure who had a tendency to try to get along with everyone, and when you look at his history, you learn that he has this fire that allows him to take this punishment but also figure out savvy ways of giving it back.
~Chadwick Boseman

“Jackie Robinson…an American Hero,” by Stanley Cooper
Posted: August 29, 2020 Filed under: 20th Century, Pop culture | Tags: 42, Baseball, Brooklyn Dodgers, Chadwick Boseman, history, Jackie Robinson, Jackie Robinson Day, Major League Baseball, MLB, poetry, Stanley Cooper Leave a comment
Chadwick Boseman (left) and Jackie Robinson (Movie Stills)
In honor of Major League Baseball’s celebration of Jackie Robinson yesterday, and in memory of Chadwick Boseman, who passed away yesterday and who had played Robinson in the movie 42, here’s a short piece I found about Robinson and his role in baseball and in society.
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He never asked to be a hero
For him, playing ball would be just fine
Potentially his chance was less than zero
To overcome that black-white racist line
Unlike Duke, Dimag and Mickey
Jackie entered through back doors
The stage was set by Mr. Rickey
For Robinson to fight that Civil War
Sports, they say, mirrors society
So, they should have hung their heads in shame
For what was then America’s propriety
Brought prejudice to every game
The Brooklyn Bums, at long last, found salvation
When Robinson’s talents were revealed
With the awesome double-play combination
Reese and Jackie brought to Ebbetts Field
Stealing fan’s hearts with baseball fire
Displaying skills in every way
Robinson played with such desire
Stealing bases most every day
They could never expect from him the expected
He turned the most racist hate to love
And finally he was most respected
Respect that came from more than bat and glove
For Jackie, baseball was more than just a game
He opened doors for Campy, Mays and others
Number 42, now in the Hall of Fame
Proved men of all colors could play in life as brothers
He never asked to be a hero!
This day in baseball: The first Finn
Posted: August 28, 2020 Filed under: 20th Century, This day in baseball | Tags: Baseball, Chicago White Sox, Finland, history, John Michaelson, Major League Baseball, MLB, sports 3 CommentsOn August 28, 1921, John Michaelson became the first person born in Finland to play in a major league game. The 27-year-old White Sox right-hander from Taivalkoski would only appear in two games, however. Michaelson posted an ERA of 10.12 in his two appearances for the Chicago team.

John Michaelson in 1921 (sabr.org)
Quote of the day
Posted: August 26, 2020 Filed under: Quote of the day | Tags: Annie Dillard, Baseball, quotes, sports Leave a commentA baseball weighted your hand just so, and fit it. Its red stitches, its good leather and hardness like skin over bone, seemed to call forth a skill both easy and precise.
~Annie Dillard

Annie Dillard (Wikimedia Commons)
Hotdogs On The Run, by Pat Adams
Posted: August 24, 2020 Filed under: Pop culture | Tags: Baseball, Hot dog, Hot Dog Derby, humor, limerick, Major League Baseball, MLB, Pat Adams, poetry 2 CommentsHere’s a fun little limerick for your reading enjoyment. I, for one, am appreciative of the laugh this morning. Personally, I’ve always rooted for Ketchup in the Hot Dog Derby. Relish is my least favorite (to this day, I despise anything pickled), but somehow Relish seems to win a lot of the time. Ick!
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With Baseball hotdogs on the run
Caught up in, excitement and fun
Watch where you go
Before you know
You might slip and fall on your bun!
Batting practice observation
Posted: August 22, 2020 Filed under: Pop culture | Tags: Baseball, comics, Fergus of the Farm, humor, Paul E. Breen, sports Leave a commentOh, man, that burns.

This day in baseball: Youngest home run
Posted: August 20, 2020 Filed under: 20th Century, This day in baseball | Tags: Baseball, Brooklyn Dodgers, Ebbets Field, Major League Baseball, MLB, Pittsburgh Pirates, Preacher Roe, sports, Tommy Brown Leave a commentThe youngest player in MLB history to hit a home run was Tommy Brown of the Dodgers, who accomplished the feat on August 20, 1945. Brown was 17 years, eight months, and 14 days old on the day of the blast. The Brooklyn shortstop started his career as a 16-year-old high school student, and his homer proved to be the only run Brooklyn would score that day off the Pirates lefty, Preacher Roe. Roe pitched a complete game in the 11-1 rout of the Dodgers at Ebbets Field.
Quote of the day
Posted: August 19, 2020 Filed under: Quote of the day | Tags: Baseball, Paul Gallico, quotes, sports Leave a commentMost of the men who play the game [of baseball] haven’t the vaguest notion of the miracles of timing and precision that they perform.
~Paul Gallico

Library of Congress
“Baseball, Hot Dogs, and Apple Pie,” by Da Wurst Band in da World
Posted: August 17, 2020 Filed under: Pop culture | Tags: Baseball, Da Wurst Band in da World, humor, Major League Baseball, MLB, music, National Baseball Hall of Fame, satire, sports, steroids Leave a commentThis song is dripping with satire as it tells about the Steroid Era of Major League Baseball. It seems vaguely familiar to me, and it’s quite possible that I heard this on the radio on my drive to work at some point. The song has been featured on radio stations all over the country. To complement the hilarity of the song and its lyrics, someone put together this slideshow to watch as you listen.
A hundred and twenty-three to nothing
Posted: August 16, 2020 Filed under: Pop culture | Tags: Baseball, Charles Schulz, Charlie Brown, comics, humor, Peanuts, sports Leave a commentI can understand this feeling completely.