Brian Wilson blows a save – and his cool

Brian Wilson blew a save in Detroit last night, and just about everyone in the world has seen this great AP photo of him whaling on a Gatorade cooler. I’m not going to cast any stones against the bearded one, as I’ve rather famously – among a close circle of friends and family – blown […]

Coming out as a San Francisco Giants fan

With one of my sons and a friend, I went to see the Cleveland Indians play the Giants at AT&T Park in San Francisco yesterday. The nationally televised game was a test of loyalty for me: Would I root for the team of my youth or the team of my recent years. Honestly, I wasn’t […]

What to wear to the Indians-Giants game?

For a diehard fan of the Cleveland Indians and San Francisco Giants, going to a game at AT&T Park poses a problem: What to wear? I have plenty of gear from both teams: a Willie Mays jersey, a ’48 Indians cap, Chief Wahoo socks, an Indians jacket, a Tim Lincecum T-shirt, and lots more. The […]

Baseball All-Star Game caps? Not for me

Anyone reading my blog knows I’ll buy a baseball cap at, well, at the drop of a hat. But the All-Star game caps just don’t do it for me, this year or any year. The design is actually not bad. But I just can’t get excited about a batting practice cap. It’s so manufactured, not […]

A tip of the Jumeirah cap to Rory McIlroy, U.S. Open champion

No single blogger could add any lustre to what Rory McIlroy accomplished over these past four days in winning the U.S. Open championship. But I’ll venture a few words about his sponsor. About eight holes into the final round today I got curious about the “Jumeirah” scrawled across the crown of McIlroy’s cap. That I […]

Father’s Day is a day for baseball

Happy Father’s Day to all the fathers out there who taught their sons and daughters the love of baseball. Baseball and life itself were intertwined for my father and me. There was always a ballgame on the radio, it seemed, accompaniment as we drove just about anywhere or as I played Wiffle ball in the […]

The Ball Caps Blog 2011 American League All-Star ballot

Here’s my All-Star ballot for the AL: Catcher – Alex Avila of the Detroit Tigers dominates in most categories, so he gets the nod over Matt Wieters of Baltimore. First Base – Adrian Gonzalez is having the (green) monster year expected of him with the Red Sox, so he gets the nod over powerful Mark […]

The Ball Caps Blog 2011 National League All-Star ballot

The All-Star Game approaches, and it’s time to reveal my choices. Crazy, I know, but I believe the All-Star starters should be the best nine players from the league based on their present-year performance. So here are my picks for the senior circuit: Catcher – Brian McCann of the Atlanta Braves, a chest protector’s width […]

Derek Jeter goes on the disabled list, and reflections on aging in baseball

Derek Jeter is headed to the disabled list with a calf injury that revealed itself the other night, forcing The Captain to hobble off the diamond. I was a bit surprised to read the injury happened just a few weeks shy of his 37th birthday. I actually thought he was older, because Jeter has seemingly been […]

Remembering – fondly – Jim “Grand Slam” Northrup of the Detroit Tigers

Jim Northrup, a power-hitting outfielder with the Detroit Tigers for many years in the 1960s and early 70s, died today at age 71. I read the sad news on my wife’s iPad just before dinner. As a kid growing up in Cleveland, I saw Northrup and the Tigers play many, many times, at Cleveland Municipal […]