Requiem for the San Francisco Giants

The inevitable happened tonight as the Arizona Diamondbacks defeated the defending world champion San Francisco Giants to win the National League West title. It’s a bitter end to the season for us Giants fans, none of whom have the least glimmer of hope that San Francisco can finagle a wild card berth. Frankly, I don’t […]

Clayton Kershaw wins his 20th for the Dodgers

Impressive as it was for Clayton Kershaw to win his 20th game of the season last night, what’s more remarkable is that he’s LA’s first 20-game winner in 21 years. I was stunned to read that. The Dodgers, one of the most consistent winners over the course of my lifetime, are the team of Koufax […]

My dad on the hot corner: Two errors and 0-3 at the plate

One of my growing hobbies is researching our family history, and I found a gem tonight while poking around in Ancestry.com: my father’s name in a box score. Dad never failed to mention that he loved playing “the hot corner,” something I never doubted. Now I have the box score to back it up, on […]

Buckets full of spam, and a plug for the Baseball Bloggers Alliance

A curious thing has happened to Ye Olde Ball Caps Blog in recent months: my traffic has dropped off for no discernible reason and yet the amount of spam the blog receives has proliferated. Fortunately, our friends at WordPress have a really good spam filter that catches just about all the stuff that doesn’t belong. […]

Baseball, America and 9-11: A short tribute

This is a low key weekend around our house as America and the world reflect on the tragic events of Sept. 11, 2001. We had our share of drama that day, as I’ve recounted elsewhere. Here on the Ball Caps Blog, I hold a cap over my heart in tribute to those who lost their […]

Can Ichiro reach 200 hits again?

Ichiro Suzuki has slapped out 200 or more hits each year since he joined the Seattle Mariners in 2001, but his streak is in danger. He went 2-for-4 tonight against Kansas City, bringing his total to 161 (as best as I can tell from MLB.com). That means he’s going to need a lot more two-hit […]

The 2011 National League MVP: Buster Posey

Scoff if you will at that headline, but the idea has merit. Buster Posey has proved just how valuable he is by his absence from the San Francisco Giants. Posey broke his leg May 25 while trying to keep Scott Cousins of the Florida Marlins from touching home. Cousins scored, the Marlins won, and it’s […]

Take me out to the ball game, and buy me some ear plugs

Take me out to the ball game, but skip the peanuts and Cracker Jack. I need ear plugs. I’ve made it to four major league ball parks this year, and my ears haven’t stopped ringing. The worst offender was Kauffman Field in Kansas City, where we were seated down range from what I presume was […]

The pleasures of day baseball

Back in our old neighborhood in Alameda today, a friend and I decided there could be no better way to spend the day than by making the short drive to the ballpark. My friend, my younger son and I were rewarded with an entertaining game at the coliseum in Oakland. The Kansas City Royals pounded […]

Up in the air: Wearing my Indians cap in a hot air balloon

For my first hot air balloon ride, I wore my Cleveland Indians cap. Somehow that was appropriate.