Indians to guardians: In transition

The Cleveland baseball franchise has played its last game as the Indians, and they went out with a victory over the Texas Rangers. I’ve been preparing mentally for the transition to the new name, which I embrace. Feelings over the dispatching of Chief Wahoo and the Indians name remain raw among Cleveland fans, and probably […]

Gabe Kapler: From Rockhead to Genius

What do I know? When Gabe Kapler took over as manager of the Philadelphia Phillies, I thought he could do nothing right. I remember listening to the opener in 2018, and I forget what managerial gaffe or gaffes Kapler made as the Phils fell to the Braves. Things didn’t get much better for Philadelphia that […]

Every desk needs a baseball

Office trends have come and gone over the years of my career, from fax machines to Zoom screens, but one constant has been baseball. Not in the James Earl Jones/Thomas Mann sense from “Field of Dreams.” I mean literally a single baseball. Years back when I was working in San Francisco, a PR firm sent […]

Dodgers and Giants: Let’s bring them back to New York for a series

Knotted in a tie for first place in the National League West Division with the best records in baseball, the Giants and Dodgers begin a marquee weekend series tonight, Friday, Sept. 3. First pitch is scheduled for 6:45 p.m. Pacific time. The Giants and Dodgers left New York for the West Coast a lifetime ago, […]

The Little League World Series, and the consequences for the kids

Every summer when the Little League Series comes around, I cringe. Not that I don’t like the idea of the series — far from it. My 12-year-old self would have loved to have gone to Williamsport and compete. But the parent in me worries every time I see the huge way the series is presented […]

My hometown pays tribute to Rocky Colavito

I’ve marked Rocky Colavito’s birthday on August 10th for as long as I can remember. I’m sure I found the date on the back of one of Rocky’s baseball cards, some of my most treasured possessions. Months ago I learned that a statue of Rocky would be unveiled in Cleveland on his 88th birthday, and […]

An unexpected delight: the Baseball Heritage Museum in Cleveland

After making my first visit to Cleveland’s restored League Park four years ago, I vowed to return. I got the chance this week, traveling to my hometown from New Jersey for the unveiling of the statue of my boyhood hero, Rocky Colavito. The Colavito ceremony was scheduled for early in the afternoon Tuesday, Aug. 10, […]

Comerica Park, the return: Just as nice at night

I first visited Comerica Park for a day game in 2019 and thoroughly enjoyed it. My daughter and her family moved to the Detroit area a short while later, and after a long COVID-induced delay my wife and I finally got to see them in their new home this month. Being the great daughter she […]

Cleveland gets it right: The Guardians is a great name

For this Cleveland native and lifelong Indians fan, the news of the pending switch to the name “Guardians” came Friday morning after I’d finished loading the car for the long drive home from my daughter’s home in suburban Detroit. I did a quick check of Twitter and the news was at the top of my […]

The beautiful game, in under 3 hours

As the Euro 2020 final between England and Italy neared the halfway point of extra time, it dawned on me that, even with a penalty kick shootout, the match would take less time than the average Major League Baseball game. Think about that. In what turned out to be 2 hours, 54 minutes, the Lions […]