Baseball: The Winter Game

Yes, baseball is the summer game. But that is precisely why it resonates so warmly in the dead of winter for those of us in cold climes. As I write this post on a Sunday morning from my home in New Jersey, a good deal of snow still dominates the view through the picture window […]

Phillies fans are a passionate lot

As I put my purchase onto the checkout counter at the sporting goods store, the clerk looked me in the eye and said bluntly, “Why did you take Hunter Pence from us?” In a split second, I realized that this young man was a Phillies fan and had noticed my San Francisco Giants cap. “I […]

A visit to Shibe Park (sort of)

I live not far from Philadelphia, and yesterday I finally decided to seek out the site of old Shibe Park, a.k.a. Connie Mack Stadium, where the Phillies and Athletics played for the better part of the 20th century. I drove through north Philadelphia and expected to walk around the site a bit, anticipating that I’d be […]

Cirque du Phillies: An entertaining evening at Citizens Bank Park

Last night I attended my first Phillies home game at Citizens Bank Park, and it was a delight. My younger son and I donned San Francisco caps to cheer on the visiting Giants, who crushed the Fightin’ Phils 9-2 with some unexpected and welcome power from AAA call-ups Brett Pill and Roger Kieschnick. We had […]

Just a flesh wound: Some thoughts on baseball at mid-season

Wow, have I been a baseball blogging phantom this season. I cringe at the mere thought of checking the date on my last post, which itself was weeks and weeks after the previous post. My lack of posting doesn’t mean I haven’t been a fully engaged baseball fan. In fact, I’ve watched plenty of games […]

A season without a seat in the stands

I’m looking back on the 2012 season and realizing that this is one of those rare years in which I didn’t see a major league baseball game in person. Having switched jobs and coasts in May, I left California before having a chance to see the Giants or Athletics play at home. My two cross-country […]

O Holy Cow: The Baseball Solstice coincides with Christmas

The high priests have looked to the sky and determined that the Baseball Solstice will coincide with Christmas this winter, to be celebrated from sundown on Christmas Eve to sundown Christmas Day. The Baseball Solstice, noted in this blog a year ago, marks the midpoint of the long layoff in play between the final out […]

Time to get back onto the field!

It’s hard to believe that a San Francisco fan like me has failed to post anything since the Giants swept their way to the World Series title, but so be it. This morning I resolve to shower off all that celebratory champagne spray and head back out onto the blogging field with a few general […]

Red Sox Nation shows its pride on Massachusetts license plates

Red Sox fans are crazy for their team, and as I traveled New England while on vacation last week I was struck by the number of BoSox specialty Massachusetts license plates I saw. They were a common site on Cape Cod, on Boston area highways, and I even spotted them in New Hampshire and Vermont. […]

Which former Philly is faring worse on the West Coast?

Listening to the Dodgers-Giants game last evening (thanks, ESPN Radio!), I got to wondering which of the Phillies traded to the two NL West teams was performing worse: Shane Victorino or Hunter Pence? Neither has set the world on fire. Pence is hitting just .225 for the Giants and has an on-base percentage of .290, […]