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 […]

Iconic baseball stadiums: Wrigley Field, Chicago

I’ve been away from posting the last two weeks, but I have an excellent baseball-related reason. I spent part of the time in Chicago on vacation, and that included an afternoon at the friendly confines of Wrigley Field. Rather I should say the frigid confines, as we found them toward the back of Section 222 on […]

Inter-league baseball games have their charms, but there is a tradeoff

This is the first weekend for inter-league games in baseball this season, and there’s been plenty of buzz in a number of places as neighboring franchises like the Reds and Indians, Athletics and Giants, and Yankees and Mets fight it out. But my heart sank a little when I heard that the Cubs were playing […]

Iconic baseball caps: The Chicago Cubs

The Giants are playing the Cubs at Wrigley Field tonight, one of the classiest and most traditional settings for a game of baseball. The Cubs play while wearing one of the most iconic caps in any sport, with its tight, round red “C” logo on a blue field. The model shown here is my mesh-back […]

Is this another “Year of the Pitcher” in Major League Baseball?

In the past few days we’ve had two no-hitters in baseball, and one has to wonder whether we’re in for another outbreak of no-no’s as we had last year. Pitchers seem to have gained the upper hand again as the Steroids Era that produced the astronomical power numbers of just a few years back fades […]

What’s the best time zone for baseball fans?

Road trips are rough on major league teams, particularly when making the big leap from Eastern time to Pacific time or vice versa. It’s also an issue for us baseball fans, who have to show nimble ingenuity to catch the broadcasts of our favorite teams. This week it’s been a trade-off for me: the San […]

Voodoo and the art of fantasy baseball

I could have told you that Aubrey Huff was going to break out of his slump. I benched him on my fantasy team this week. Those who play in gung ho competitive leagues or in the more casual settings that I prefer harbor voodoo beliefs that our maneuvers on the fantasy diamond have an impact […]

Walk-off grand slam lifts Cleveland Indians to best April record ever

Of all the surprises in this first full month of the 2011 Major League Baseball season, the most stunning has to be the improbable success of the Cleveland Indians. Winning 9-5 on a walk-off grand slam last night by Carlos Santana, the Tribe improved to 17-8, the most April victories in franchise history. The Indians […]

The Houston Astros go green, caps and all

Checking MLB.com this morning, I was puzzled to see green caps on a static image culled from a video of the ending of the Cardinals-Astros game last night. Turns out the Astros wore the green caps as part of the kickoff to the Houston club’s “Play Green” campaign. It’s an environmental promotion celebrated this week, […]