Safe
Posted: March 31, 2021 Filed under: Pop culture | Tags: Baseball, comics, humor 2 CommentsAn interesting philosophical question on a play at the plate.
3 days
Posted: March 29, 2021 Filed under: 21st Century | Tags: Baseball, Major League Baseball, MLB, Opening Day, sports 3 CommentsOnly three days remain until Opening Day! In spite of folks jumping the gun on returning to “business as usual,” given vaccine distribution progress, I’m still feeling pretty optimistic about the upcoming season.
A baseball haiku by Heather Ober
Posted: March 27, 2021 Filed under: Pop culture, Uncategorized | Tags: Baseball, haikus, Heather Ober, poetry, sports Leave a commentThere doesn’t seem to be a title to this one — it is listed merely as “Haiku 5.” All the same, I found this haiku very relatable, even in its brevity. I’m sure most kids who grow up playing ball have this experience at some point in their lives.
*
an old baseball
soars across blue sky–
broken glass
This day in baseball: Ruth’s first start
Posted: March 25, 2021 Filed under: 20th Century, This day in baseball | Tags: Babe Ruth, Baseball, Boston Red Sox, history, Major League Baseball, MLB, Philadelphia Athletics, sports Leave a commentBabe Ruth made his first career start on the mound on March 25, 1914 for the Boston Red Sox. The 19-year-old pitcher defeated the world champion Philadelphia Athletics, 6-2, in an exhibition game played in Wilmington, North Carolina. Prior to this game, Ruth had faced 29 batters in relief, allowing just six hits, thus earning his spot in the starting rotation.
Babe Ruth pitching (Bleacher Report)
Quote of the day
Posted: March 23, 2021 Filed under: Quote of the day | Tags: Baseball, Major League Baseball, MLB, quotes, sports, Three Finger Brown 2 CommentsDad played with me a great deal, as dads should do, and our chief sport was baseball. He bought me a hardball when I was three years old, and he used to sit in a rocker on the front porch while I sat on the grass in the yard, and we’d play catch by the hour.
~Mordecai Brown
Mordecai “Three Finger” Brown (Library of Congress)
Spring training in New England
Posted: March 22, 2021 Filed under: 21st Century, Pop culture | Tags: Baseball, Boston Red Sox, comics, Dave Granlund, humor, Major League Baseball, MLB, National Football League, New England Patriots, NFL, sports, Spring Training 2 CommentsThis one is obviously a bit outdated, but it did still make me chuckle a bit.
davegranlund.com
Happy First Day of Spring!
Posted: March 20, 2021 Filed under: 21st Century | Tags: Baseball, Major League Baseball, MLB, Opening Day, sports, Spring Training Leave a commentAlso, twelve days until Opening Day.
This day in baseball: McLain indicted
Posted: March 19, 2021 Filed under: 20th Century, This day in baseball | Tags: Baseball, Denny McLain, Major League Baseball, MLB, sports Leave a commentOn March 19, 1984, former MLB pitcher Denny McLain was indicted on various charges of racketeering, loan-sharking, extortion, and cocaine possession. In 1985, McLain was sentenced to 23 years in prison after refusing to admit his crimes and accept his conviction. McLain had participated in a scheme that imposed exorbitant interest rates on those who bet on sports and coerced them to pay the illegal debts. After 29 months of the sentence, McLain appealed on the grounds of an unfair judgment, and he was released. He then agreed to a five-year probation deal.
Denny McLain was the last Major League pitcher to win 30 or more games in a season, having finished the 1968 season with a record of 31-6.
McLain in 1966 (Wikipedia)
Quote of the day
Posted: March 17, 2021 Filed under: Quote of the day | Tags: Baltimore Orioles, Baseball, Cal Ripken Jr, Major League Baseball, MLB, quotes, sports 2 CommentsI didn’t just show up for work, as has sometimes been said. I also showed up to work.
~Cal Ripken, Jr.
This day in baseball: Ruth takes a pay cut
Posted: March 16, 2021 Filed under: 20th Century, This day in baseball | Tags: Babe Ruth, Baseball, Great Depression, history, Jacob Ruppert, Major League Baseball, MLB, New York Yankees, sports 2 CommentsOn March 16, 1932, Babe Ruth signed a deal for $75,000, a five-thousand dollar pay cut from the previous season and 25 percent of the Yankees net receipts from exhibition games. The pay cut came in large part as a result of the Great Depression. Legend has it the Bambino signed a blank contract, with the amount filled in later by Yankee owner Jacob Ruppert.
