The Giants cut two veterans, and the sobering reality of Major League Baseball

The San Francisco Giants shook up their roster today, jettisoning veterans Aaron Rowand and Miguel Tejada while calling up Brett Pill from the minors. I’ve had days in my career like Rowand and Tejada are having, and I’ve also had a few call-up moments. I congratulate Pill on his ascension to the big leagues, a move […]

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 […]

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 […]

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 […]

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 […]

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 […]

After the first full week of play, some startling names atop the baseball standings

As I write this post, the Yankees and Red Sox (again!) are playing on the Sunday night telecast. If the Yankees win, they’ll manage a tie in first place of the American League East not with the Sox but with the Baltimore Orioles. Whoa. And check the AL Central standings. The Indians, who (be honest) […]

In baseball broadcasts, there’s comfort in the home team

Major League Baseball is again offering a free preview of its TV package during April. While I never have the time to watch so much TV that I’d spring for the season-long package, I take advantage of the preview to sample games and see teams from around the American and National leagues. Last night I […]

Memorable opening days in Major League Baseball

The two most memorable opening days in my memory are marking significant anniversaries this year. Forty years ago, on April 8, 1971, an unheralded rookie named Gomer Hodge drove in the winning run in the Cleveland Indians’ home opener. Somewhere in a scrapbook I have clippings from that game, the exciting finish of which I […]