Jacques Barzun, the late Columbia University professor once wrote, Whoever wants to know the heart and mind of America had better learn baseball. I would like to amend this to: Whoever wants to know the religious soul of America, let...
Baseball season is winding down. Since Bally Sports went bankrupt, we haven’t been able to see the Miami Marlins and that great Ohtani performance of 6 hits and 3 home runs. But if we did get to watch and he struck out 6 times, we’d love it too. ...
With apologies to the Bard of Avon, I have been sick to death of players, no matter what sport they may play, protesting what they perceive to be social and political ills. Politicians of all stripes encourage them, but in reality what does a...
If the beaches in Heaven ever become too crowded or there is the urge to experience something different, I also envision Heaven as being a place where whenever you want you can go out to the green fields and either play the game or merely watch a...
Athletes have always fascinated me. In my adolescent mind, athletes were all heroes to me because they could hit the winning home run, score the deciding touchdown or sink a clutch shot from long range when the game was on the line. But of course...
Sabermetrics is defined as the science of numbers applied to baseball to determine the relative monetary and athletic relevancy of everyone who has played or is trying to play the game professionally. This new baseball numerical science is the...
In 1973, I taught what is arguably the first accredited baseball history course on a college campus in the Midwest. My course emphasized the fact that more than any other sport baseball reflects the American spirit. Jackie Robinson’s crashing the...
One of the lighter sides of Barack Obama’s first presidential victory was his modest admission that he was still struggling with his “vice” of cigarette smoking. I am certain this was one trait that appealed to millions of voters who occupied seats...
