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 […]

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. […]

Google baseball and what do you get?

The top three Google results for “baseball” are mlb.com, the Wikipedia entry on the sport and — drumroll — The Official Site of the New York Yankees. A mere hour or so after the Yankees fell to the Los Angeles Angels in Game 5 of the American League Championship Series, what’s the lead video highlight […]

The Twins win, and we’re stuck with more games in that horrid dome

The Minnesota Twins defeated the Detroit Tigers 6-5 in 12 innings Tuesday night to win the American League Central title, and I’m not happy. Not because the Twins won per se. They’ve been a terrific story this season, charging from behind to tie the Tigers and force the one-game playoff for the division title. What […]

For most of us, it’s ‘Wait Until Next Year’

Playoffs notwithstanding, for most baseball fans today is the first day of the long winter. The season is over, the concession stands are empty, the lockerrooms bare as the players have packed up to go fishing or hunting or whatever they do in the off-season. For followers of the Chicago Cubs, the Cleveland Indians, the […]

A couple tips of the cap: To Jonathan Sanchez and Jamie McOwen

A tip of the cap to Jonathan Sanchez of the Giants, who last night pitched the first-no hitter at AT&T Park in San Francisco. The accomplishment was especially sweet for Sanchez because, after having been dropped from the starting rotation, he got the no-no while making a spot start in place of the injured Randy […]

Vote for Pablo!

A journalist by profession, I usually refrain from taking sides. I try to see the merits and disadvantages of each aspect of an issue, causing me occasionally to over-analyze a situation. I confess, I’ve been overthinking the issue of fans voting for the American and National league All-Star game rosters. Major League Baseball is using […]

Don’t knock the Rock: An update

One of the joys of blogging is when a post triggers a reaction in someone or enables you to learn something new. My recent post on the 50th anniversary of Rock Colavito’s four-homer game brought a comment in from someone who runs the Rocky Colavito fan site. There you’ll find a link to a petition […]

Let’s go, Big Unit!

Randy Johnson heads to the mound Wednesday night in Washington in search of victory No. 300. Over the years, Randy has worn the caps of many ballclubs in both the American and National leagues, starting with the Montreal Expos. It’s a quirk of fate that his first crack at No. 300 comes against his old […]