Happy Birthday, Doc Adams!!!

This morning I am getting ready to attend a celebration of a bicentennial. The last bicentennial I recall that I participated in any type of celebration was the 1976 celebration of the signing of the Declaration of Independence. I was nine and that year was the first World Series I remember watching. I bet my […]

Throwing Hard Easy: A Review of Robin Roberts’ Memoirs

Baseball fans often get lost in the recollections of former players retelling their life journey through the game. A great example of this hardball trip down memory lane is Throwing Hard Easy: Reflections on a Life in Baseball by Robin Roberts with C. Paul Rogers III (University of Nebraska Press). First published in 2003, the […]

John Fogerty: Rockin’ In Cooperstown

John Fogerty has taken his turn at bat in some of the world’s best-known concert venues. Fillmore West. The Fox Theatre. Madison Square Garden. The Royal Albert Hall. But it’s likely the performance that meant the most to him was the one he gave on July 25, 2010 in Cooperstown, New York, at the National […]

A Baseball with Matt Year in Review

Hey baseball fans! Happy blog-iversary! Yup, that’s right, folks; today is the one year anniversary of Baseball with Matt. I just want to thank all of my viewers, without whom I would have never gotten to this point. Anyway, in honor of this special day, I am going to give you all a year in […]

My First Trip to the Baseball Hall of Fame

Hey baseball fans! I am off this week because of spring break, so naturally I took a baseball-related vacation… to the National Baseball Hall of Fame and Museum in Cooperstown, New York! If you can believe this, it was actually my first time there and it was AWESOME!!!!!! I had a lot of fun and […]

Proficient Pitchers – Part Two

Hey baseball fans! Here’s part two of my blog of the Proficient Pitchers greatest nicknames ever: The Rocket - Roger Clemens Clemens is called “The Rocket” for a reason. His blazing fastballs were a big part of why he won seven career Cy Young Awards, far more than any other player. Clemens is the only pitcher to start […]

Bill Dahlen Named Overlooked 19th Century Baseball Legend

For Immediate Release Society for American Baseball Research (SABR) Nineteenth Century Committee Bill Dahlen named Overlooked 19th Century Baseball Legend MINNEAPOLIS, MN, June 30, 2012 — Bill Dahlen has been selected the Overlooked 19th Century Baseball Legend for 2012 by the Nineteenth Century Committee of the Society for American Baseball Research (SABR). The announcement was […]

Hall of Fame Honors Selig With Locked Door

When the press release was distributed by the Hall of Fame on August 18, it seemed like a cool thing–dedicating a library space to the archives of baseball’s nine commissioners. As the release put it, “Cooperstown will also now be forever celebrated as the archival home for the Office of the Commissioner following the Wednesday […]

A Chat with Baseball HOF President Jeff Idelson

Believe it or not, despite the fact that I have been an ardent fan of baseball for many years, I have never made a trip to the Hall of Fame. Located in Cooperstown, New York, The Hall of Fame is a shrine to America’s game, holding numerous artifacts, exhibits, and other holdings that represent the […]

Harry Stovey Named Overlooked 19th Century Baseball Legend

For Immediate Release Society for American Baseball Research (SABR) Nineteenth Century Committee Harry Stovey Named Overlooked 19th Century Baseball Legend LONG BEACH, CA, July 8, 2011 — 19th Century outfielder and first baseman, Harry Stovey has been selected the Overlooked 19th Century Baseball Legend for 2011 by the Nineteenth Century Committee of the Society for […]

Mickey Mantle: The Last Boy

“Get the f___ outta here. It’s like a cemetery to me.”     – Mickey Mantle National Baseball Hall of Fame and Museum When I first saw Mickey Mantle he was standing next to a barbecue grill in the late afternoon light outside a motel room in St. Petersburg, Florida.   He struck a relaxed and happy pose, […]

Hawk, The White Rat & God

Sunday’s inductees into the National Baseball Hall of Fame are a varied group, with nicknames running the spectrum in terms of flattery. With Andre Dawson (aka “Hawk”) being the only player elected on the writers’ ballot, the Veterans Committee saved the day by voting in “The White Rat,” Whitey Herzog, and the umpire otherwise known […]

Hanging Out in Cooperstown

I’m in Cooperstown for the annual National Baseball Hall of Fame inductions. This is 24 straight years for me. Hard to believe! It has been a long time since I saw Ray Dandridge, Catfish Hunter and Billy Williams make their induction speeches. I remember the tears of joy Dandridge shed that day. It was a […]

19th Century Overlooked Base Ball Legends Project — And the 2010 Candidates are…

It was an early April morning and I was sitting on the back porch of the Otesaga in Cooperstown, New York. The twenty minutes or so sitting alone rocking back and forth in a white rocking chair was a surreal moment for me. I have often heard stories of Johnny Bench and others sharing moments […]

Hall of Fame No Longer Closed to Closers

Next Sunday, Rich “Goose” Gossage will become the fifth relief pitcher inducted into the National Baseball Hall of Fame in Cooperstown, New York.