I was only nine years old. I didn’t know where Nicaragua was located. After reading a small article in the newspaper on my living room floor, I was upset. It was shocking. Where was Nicaragua? I had to look it up in an encyclopedia. It was a country in Central America. I really didn’t know […]
Category: Editorial Opinion
The recent induction of John Smoltz into the National Baseball Hall of Fame always brings the discussion of the trade that brought him to the Atlanta Braves. Many view it a lopsided deal, but was it? Smoltz was sent to the Braves from the Detroit Tigers for Doyle Alexander on Aug. 12, 1987. Yes, Smoltz […]
Frank Gifford was a part of my childhood. I never met the National Football League legend, but he became a weekly visitor to my house in the 1970s. His 1964 football card has been in my collection for about 40 years. While I laughed at Howard Cosell and Don Meredith on Monday Night Football, I […]
This time of year my focus always turns to the National Baseball Hall of Fame. A visit to the induction ceremony should be on any baseball fan’s bucket list. My list was checked in 2000. Tony Perez, Sparky Anderson, Carlton Fisk and Cincinnati Reds broadcaster Marty Brennaman were the highlights of the weekend. But from […]
Like most kids growing up, I had a dream of playing Major League Baseball. Notice the word “had” in the first line. By the time I was 10-years old, the dream was over. Ruined in little league by poor talent. After the realization that I wasn’t big league material, it was time to figure out […]
The dust finally cleared on the Franchise Four at the 2015 Major League Baseball All-Star Game in Cincinnati. There were 120 players on the list announced prior to the mid-summer classic at Great American Ball Park with four from each of the 30 clubs. Back in May, Shoestring Catches had made some recommendations for fans […]
This year marks the 50th anniversary of the initial Major League Baseball free agent draft. The first draft in 1965 had 814 players selected, according The Sporting News Baseball Guide from a year later. Three members of the National Baseball Hall of Fame were selected. Johnny Bench was chosen in the second round by the […]
It happened last week. How did I miss it? I suppose not caring is at the top of the list. New York Yankee Alex Rodriguez passed Willie Mays on the all-time home run list with his 661st against the Baltimore Orioles at Yankee Stadium on Thursday, May 7. I read it somewhere on the Internet. […]