March 19, 2024

More About Ted Kluszewski and Me

September 9, 2013 by · Leave a Comment 

“Earl’s not gonna like that mustache.”  Earl was Earl Smith, head baseball coach at East Carolina University.  The mustache was mine.  Tim Bayless was a starting pitcher for the ECU Pirates and he knew I soon was headed to the school with the intention of becoming a Pirate.  On this particular day, however, Tim picked […]

Baseball Beyond Borders

August 26, 2013 by · Leave a Comment 

Between 1998 and 2012, the international players participating on teams in MLB increased from approximately twenty to twenty-seven percent. After finishing their careers, a fraction of them had opportunities to be full or part time employees in the front offices of American or National League (AL or NL) teams. Some former ballplayers decided to become […]

Two Roads Diverged

June 27, 2012 by · Leave a Comment 

Seven years ago the Washington Nationals, during their inaugural season in 2005, stood atop the NL east to the surprise of everyone. They had a four-game lead and were playing in Toronto against the Blue Jays. It was the team’s first trip back to Canada and in the Montreal sports pages they celebrated their team’s […]

Mariners Win With Montero Trade Too…

January 14, 2012 by · 4 Comments 

Last night saw the rare exchange of top young players, when the New York Yankees traded catcher/designated hitter Jesus Montero and pitcher Hector Noesi to the Seattle Mariners for pitchers Michael Pineda and Jose Campos. So far the reaction seems to be focused on what a terrific deal this was for the Yankees, and how […]

No Violence at Your Cathedral Please…

April 5, 2011 by · Leave a Comment 

The beating of  Bryan Stowe, a Giants fan, at the LA Dodgers home opener by Dodgers fans last week is sad and tragic, but I can’t say that the story is unfamiliar.  Why do we as sports fans feel the need to ignorantly maim and injure opposing fans?  Why is it that we cant get through […]

In the Best Interests of Baseball?

August 28, 2010 by · Leave a Comment 

What exactly does the leaking of financial information about six teams by Deadspin.com seek to change at the end of the day?  In 2006–in the name of competitive balance–Major League Baseball, Inc. set in place a system to share revenues from the richest teams–those whose markets will always remain demographically enhanced–with the poorest ones.  Upsetting […]