Keeping Navy Yard Neighbors in Our Thoughts and Prayers

Events like those that transpired in DC yesterday, just down M Street, SE from Nationals Park, seem to plague our country with disturbing frequency. It is unfortunate that they happen at all, or that they happen in any neighborhood, or any work place. But they came home yesterday to the Navy Yard that is an […]

April 20, 1912: The First Game at Fenway Park

To celebrate the 100th anniversary of Fenway Park, here is a look at how the Boston Globe of April 21, 1912 described the first game at Fenway, played the day previously. Of course it was a Red Sox-Yankees affair, with perhaps Boston’s best team ever winning 7-6 on a run in the 11th. (The Yankees, […]

The Milwaukee Brewers Once Famous Mascot

Most ballparks now have mascots. But how many have a real live animal mascot? Perhaps the oddest I came across were the 1902 proposed mascots for the Denver and Colorado Springs teams: a live Grizzly Bear and a live Mountain Lion. Other Western League owners frowned on the idea and the bear remained the pet […]

Yakima Bears Hope to Fill Void Left by Beavers

Baseball fans in the Portland, OR area saw their beloved Beavers head south last year for warmer pastures, but the metro-area may not go very long without a professional baseball team. As has been reported, the Yakima Bears (Single A affiliate of the Arizona Diamondbacks) are hopeful a planned and expected move to Vancouver, WA […]

Growing Up Is About Letting Go

It happened earlier than it usually does. Being a fanatical Red Sox fan, there’s usually five to seven times each season when I will just throw up my hands (after throwing up) and boycott all broadcasts of my team for the indefinite future. They tend to come in June when the pennant races normally heat […]

The Waiting is the Hardest Part…

Tom Petty was right, the waiting is the hardest part.  The Tigers home opener is exactly 20 days away and I can’t wait any longer.  My ball park bag is packed, my score books are ready, my pencils are sharpened, binoculars are focused, opening day attire picked out, day off of work approved, tickets in the mail, but alas, […]

Those Thrifty Milwaukeeans

Being born and raised in Milwaukee I know we have a reputation for being thrifty, frugal, financially conservative (O.K., cheapskates!). But I found it goes back well over one hundred years. The Western League Brewers built a new park on the city’s north side at 17th and Lloyd Streets in 1895. By the next year […]