All four #1 seeds made the NCAA Division One Men’s Basketball Final Four this year. The last time that happened was in 2008. Malachi Van Tassell, the president of St. Francis University in Loretto, Pennsylvania, a team that made the […]
sports
What an ending!
“What if the Mets are actually good now?”
Longtime readers of this blog know that I bleed Mets blue and orange. That’s why I resonate so much with Devin Gordon’s piece today at The New York Times: “Who Am I if the Mets Are Good?” I love this […]
What happened to the American pastime?
In 2021, Major League Baseball dumped 42 minor league affiliates. Over at the Pittsburgh Post-Gazette, Will Bardenwerper notes that New York Mets outfielder Juan Soto, with his $765,000,000 contract, “will make in ten at-bats roughly the $700,000 MLB will save […]
A historic Lutheran Church-Missouri Synod college basketball tournament is coming to an end
Here is Tom Raabe’s piece on the end of the Concordia Invitational Tournament: “Keep C.I.T.! Keep C.I.T.!” That was the chant that rose from the packed gym on the campus of Concordia University Wisconsin last year about this time. The final game […]
It’s okay to say “soccer”
The history of the term should reassure us.
Gino Auriemma on NIL and the transfer portal
The University of Connecticut women’s basketball coach is exactly right:
Photo of the day
Vin Scully meets Willie Mays
On the day of Scully’s final Dodgers broadcast: RIP Say Hey Kid! And as long as we are talking about Scully, I still love his rendition of the Lord’s Prayer:
Bill Russell International Airport?
I am completely on board with Mark Leibovich’s proposal to change the name of Logan Airport to Bill Russell Airport. Leibovich make’s his argument today at The Atlantic. Here is a taste: Naming the airport for Russell would send a […]
A no hitter in Brooklyn caught by a humble major league catcher
Last night, three minor league pictures–Dakota Hawkins, Joey Lancellott, and Joseph Cornielly–pitched a combined no-hitter as the Brooklyn Cyclones (the Mets’ High A affiliate) defeated the Aberdeen Ironbirds (Baltimore Orioles High A affiliate) 3-0. The current New York Mets starting […]
The wild story of 10-cent beer night at Cleveland Stadium
Some fine sports writing here from Fredric J. Frommer at The Washington Post. He tells the story of the riot that occurred in Cleveland Stadium during a Cleveland Indians (now Guardians)-Texas Rangers game on June 4, 1974. This melee should […]
“Thank you, driver”
David Bragdon remembers how Bill Walton treated a Portland Trail-Blazers bus driver. Here is a taste: After the silent stretching, they slowly and methodically walked through plays, never breaking a sweat, Walton always in the middle, making slight gestures and […]
Ty Cobb hit .367, but Josh Gibson hit .372
Here is the Associated Press: Josh Gibson became Major League Baseball’s career leader with a .372 batting average, surpassing Ty Cobb’s .367, when Negro Leagues records for more than 2,300 players were incorporated Tuesday after a three-year research project. Gibson’s […]
Bill Walton roundup
The tributes are pouring in. RIP. Kareem: On John Wooden: ESPN radio host Chris Carlin: Rick Carlisle: Taking his Celtics teammates to a Grateful Dead show: Activist: Wooden: Nancy Pelosi: On Liberty University: More Wooden: On grizzly bears: Roxy Bernstein: […]
Bill Walton: RIP
This is such sad news. As a young basketball player I tried to model my game after two players: Bill Walton and Kevin McHale. When I was younger I used to stay up late to watch PAC-10 games just to […]
Ali vs. Cosell
A short video today for the sports fans in the room:
Why I love baseball!
Alternative title of this post: “Why I am having a hard time concentrating on my work this morning.” The New York Mets lost the first two games of a weekend series against the Atlanta Braves. On Saturday night, in game […]
The triple play in The Odd Couple
A 13-year-old Howie Rose, the longtime New York Mets radio broadcaster, was at Shea Stadium in 1967 for the filming of a scene from The Odd Couple. Here’s the scene: On last night’s broadcast, Rose said they filmed the scene […]
The Author’s Corner with Brian M. Ingrassia
Brian M. Ingrassia is Associate Professor of History at West Texas A&M University. This interview is based on his new book, Speed Capital: Indianapolis Auto Racing and the Making of Modern America (University of Illinois Press, 2024). JF: What led […]