The Inspire Me Thursday inspirational word this week is “ticket”. I live in Philadelphia and I’ve been going to baseball games for a very long time. I struggled alongside the struggling Phillies in those years in the late ’90s when they out-and-out stunk! I also sat in the stands as the Phillies fought their way …
The Monday Artday challenge word this week is “lucky”. On June 2, 1925, Yankees manager Miller Huggins replaced regular first baseman Wally Pipp in the starting lineup. Pipp was in a slump, so Huggins made the change to boost the team’s overall performance. Huggins started Lou Gehrig instead. He stayed in the lineup for fourteen years. Although he played …
I’ve had Phillies season tickets since 1996. I sat through some bad years and I sat through some great years, including 2008’s championship season. I’ve been to many ballparks in many different cities. The game on the field is only a fraction of the entertainment to be found at the ballpark. Sometimes the game doesn’t command the …
Three nights ago, the only thing on 22-year old rookie Nick Adenhart’s mind was not giving up any runs to the Oakland A’s starting lineup. Nick scattered seven hits and three walks across six innings, while ringing up five Oakland batters on strikes. Nick was looking great in his 2009 season debut as part of …
With The 2008 Philadelphia Phillies headed to their first World Series in fifteen years, I can only think of my father. My father died the day The Phillies won the 1993 National League pennant. This would be the Phillies’ first trip to the World Series since their loss to The Baltimore Orioles ten years earlier. …
Continue reading ‘from my sketchbook: Phillies postseason’ »
The challenge word this week on Monday Artday is “steampunk”. This may be an unfamiliar concept to some, so I’ll do my best to explain it. According to Wikipedia, the Internet source for everything (including a little bullshit), steampunk is a genre of fiction that came into prominence in the 1980s and early 1990s. The …
Willie Stargell was unquestionably the guiding force behind the success of the Pittsburgh Pirates in the late ’70s. He played his entire career — 21 seasons — with The Pirates. He was the league MVP at age 39. Besides being the team’s best player, he kept the clubhouse loose. He even instituted the equivalent of …
The challenge this week on Monday Artday is “getting ready”. …for Opening Day! I have mentioned before. I love baseball. I love watching baseball. I love going to baseball games. There are some things I don’t like about baseball (namely Brett Myers), but overall, I love it. I have been a Phillies season ticket holder …
The challenge this week on sugarfrostedgoodness is “B is for…” …Buck O’Neil. John Jordan “Buck” O’Neil was a first baseman and manager in the Negro Baseball Leagues. In 1937, O’Neil signed with the Memphis Red Sox for their first year of play in the newly-formed Negro American League. His contract was sold to the Kansas …
The challenge word this week on Monday Artday is “bird”. Tall, lanky Mark Fidrych was a certified flake. “The Bird”, as he was affectionately known because of his resemblance to Sesame Street’s Big Bird, pitched for the Detroit Tigers from 1976 until 1980. That tumultuous five year run began with Fidrych being named Rookie of …
