The Granderson trade: Grist for the Yankee-haters’ mill

[picapp align=”right” wrap=”true” link=”term=curtis+granderson&iid=4994621″ src=”0/9/d/f/Detroit_Tigers_vs_a152.JPG?adImageId=8153941&imageId=4994621″ width=”234″ height=”159″ /] The floats that rolled down the Canyon of Heroes in the World Series victory parade have barely cooled their engines and the New York Yankees are already bolstering their formidable roster. The details aren’t final, but at the winter meetings in Indianapolis the Yanks have engineered a […]

Don’t bother Tiger Woods, officer. He’s sleeping.

[picapp align=”left” wrap=”true” link=”term=Tiger+Woods&iid=7029112″ src=”9/9/1/c/2009_Australian_Masters_8b90.jpg?adImageId=7920619&imageId=7029112″ width=”234″ height=”150″ /]Before the Tiger Woods story erupted this Thanksgiving weekend, I’d been ruminating on the differences between elite athletes and us mere men and women. Highly paid pro athletes like Woods in golf or Alex Rodriguez in baseball or LeBron James in basketball exist on a plane at which most of us mortals […]

Baseball and Black Friday

This is Black Friday, when millions of bargain-crazed Americans head to the malls to shop for deeply discounted merchandise. The only purchases I’ve made today have been on behalf of my son: at the doctor’s office, the pharmacy and – in a weak moment – an online gaming site. If you’re a baseball fan and […]

Life without baseball

This is a fits-and-starts blog. Despite my best intentions to post regularly, I sometimes get in a funk and let several days go by without a post. This past stretch of radio silence has been one of the longest, and I intend to correct that in the days ahead. Where have I been spending my […]

PicApp gets the cap wrog

WordPress, which I dearly love, recently introduced PicApp images for use on our blogs. I just signed up and in my first search – for “baseball” — was pleased to find photos of celebrities and athletes wearing baseball caps and golf caps. The first image to catch my eye was this one of singer Katy […]

An off day for baseball, and a glimpse at winter

Friday was an off day for the 2009 World Series, a reminder that the season is nearly over. Baseball is the daily game, and its rhythm regulates our lives most of the year. It’s the oldest and most established of our spectator sports, and I find it the most American of all. There’s a doctoral […]

Who’s your daddy, Pedro?

[picapp src=”1/3/c/c/Phillies_Practice_for_d923.JPG?adImageId=7048325&imageId=6762295″ width=”234″ height=”177″ /] The highlight of Game 2 for me, the fan sitting in the recliner in front of the 36″ screen in his family room, was the Yankees fans chanting “Who’s your daddy?” to taunt Pedro Martinez. The self-proclaimed most influential man ever to set foot in Yankee Stadium took the loss. […]

The Phillies take Game One, but there’s hope for the Yankees

Cliff Lee pitched brilliantly tonight as the Phillies defeated the New York Yankees 6-1 in Game One of the World Series. The only run Lee gave up was unearned, in the ninth inning when Jimmy Rollins made a throwing error that allowed Derek Jeter to score. The New York media will go into convulsions, blasting […]

What exit? Yes, It’s the Jersey Turnpike World Series!

1985: The Cardinals and the Royals meet in an all-Missouri matchup, and it’s the I-70 World Series. 1989: The Giants and Athletics endure an earthquake to play in the Bay Bridge Series. 2000: The Bronx Bombers rumble with the Metropolitans of Queens in an all-NYC Subway Series. This is 2009, Yankees versus Phillies, and there’s only one possible […]

Ex-Indian vs. Ex-Indian in Game One of the World Series

Cliff Lee warming up Originally uploaded by DDay209 Fans of the Cleveland Indians (count me among them) will be in a rueful mood when the World Series opens Wednesday night in New York. Not long ago, the starting pitcher for each team sported an Indians’ cap. Cliff Lee, who gets the start for the […]