BASEBALL CRAZINESS

TOTAL ECLIPSE OF THE PARK Shortly after the first of the year, while listening to one of my favorite podcasts, I was clued in to an event happening in Keizer, Oregon, eight months hence.  At the time, I had little knowledge of the impending total solar eclipse; had never heard the phrase “path of totality”;…

LITTLE BIG LEAGUES On a recent Saturday night I found myself in the small town of Moosic, in northeast Pennsylvania.  Unless you grew up or went to school in the hills of the Keystone state, you probably never have heard of Moosic.  But if you are a baseball fan, you definitely have heard of the…

THE $25,000 FINE Baseball is a beautiful and peculiar game, filled with majesty, intensity, and a whole lot of oddity.  If you are not a dedicated fan, you may find yourself confused by the varied and arcane rules that govern the game.  To that end, one day I may dedicate an entire post just to…

A FIGHT NOT WORTH FIGHTING In the eighth inning of Monday’s Giants-Nationals game, with the Nats ahead 3-0, Hunter Strickland decided to seek revenge.  For what, you ask?  For an overly-aggressive slide into Brandon Crawford at second base?  For a little chin music too close to Joe Panik’s baby face?  How about a bat flip…

A DAMN SHAME Many people remember Tuesday’s AL Wild Card game for the six first inning runs (including three homers); or the fact that the starters recorded a combined seven outs.  For me, I will remember a little-noted play in the bottom of the 7th inning.  Aaron Judge led off with a walk, and took…

COARSENING OF CULTURE A few weeks ago, I gave a talk at my daughters’ school entitled Parenting in the Time of Trump.  The upshot of the conversation was: How do you relate to and/or protect your kids from the coarsening of our culture.  What do you do when “grab them by the pussy” is the…

WHEN REPUTATIONS PROCEED YOU Good reputations are earned.  Through hard work, dedication, and good public relations. They are earned over the course of years, decades, an entire career.  But the one sure way to earn a good reputation, to cement your stature into people’s hearts and minds, is by winning. And once a winning reputation…

OPENING DAY Is there anything more majestic, more momentous, more magnificent, than Opening Day? I am old enough to remember when Opening Day was always the first Monday in April, with the first pitch being thrown by the Cincinnati Reds.  That tradition went away in 1994 when ESPN began airing a Sunday Night Baseball game…

MY GREAT WHITE WHALE For years I have wondered, and have done a decent amount of research.  I have checked the newspapers and the interwebs.  I watched interviews and read everything I could during the 25-year anniversary.  And yet, the answer to my question – my great white whale – remains elusive. Who was driving this…

SEASON TICKETS When I was a kid, there was nothing I wanted more than Dodger season tickets.  The idea of going to Dodger Stadium eighty-one times, watching that many games, eating that may hot dogs, and that many pennants (does anyone remember when they sold felt pennants at the ballpark?) was nothing short of bringing…