Dayton Moore on the Royals

Perfect match-up!

Greatness passes

I grew up in Dallas, Texas. 

When I was a kid, we didn't have Major League Baseball.  We had minor league teams--Dallas Eagles and the Fort Worth Cats. 

At that time, CBS owned the New York Yankees.  As a result, every Saturday and Sunday I watched the immortal Dizzy Dean and Pee Wee Reese call the Yankees' games.

In short, I grew up a Yankees fan.  Much to the chagrin of many of my family and friends, I remain a Yankee loyalist to this day.  Hey, I've got a full-life portrait of Mickey Mantle hanging in my office to this day! 

Thus, my grief at this moment. 

Clearly, God sent Pope Francis to the USA this week to help me deal with the death of one of my childhood heroes, Yogi Berra (1925-2015). 

What a loss to the world.

I can't talk about it or write any more. 

Possibly you could understand more about my grief by going here. 

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Owen swats it in comeback!

I love seeing my grandchildren enjoy themselves.

Check my short video below of Owen Frazer, my grandson, coming to bat with runners on base and two outs.  His team went ahead as the result of this comeback inning! Oh, and forgive/ignore my shouting encouragement in the background--I'm basically uncontrolable when it comes to my grandkids!

Owen hammers the ball!

Baseball is good!

Indulge a granddad who loves baseball, but grandsons even more!

Owen and Wyatt had a good day at their respective ball parks on Saturday. I was lucky enough to make both games!

Had to post some of what I saw. You'll hear me going bonkers over both of them!

Wyatt, another season on the diamond

Baseball is a blast!  Watching kids play, especially when one of them is your grandson, can be off the charts fun!  Here's a couple of glimpses into the beginning of this new season:

Wyatt gets his swings. . .

Cold rain in March does not stop my 7-year-old grandson, Wyatt from taking his swings!

He just gets it done!

Check out this New York Times story on Rangers' manager, Ron Washington.  Good stuff!

That's the way baseball go!

It doesn't get any better than this if the subject is baseball! 

Go Rangers!

Number 7: the Mick!

This from Clubhouse, the website of the National Baseball Hall of Fame.  Cut me some slack here, Rangers fans.  I grew up in Dallas when there was no Major League Baseball franchise.  CBS owned the New York Yankees.  As a result, I watched the Bronx Bombers every weekend on then local CBS affiliate, Channel 4 with play-by-play provided by Pee Wee Reese and Dizzy Dean! 


May 18, 1956: Mickey Mantle homers from both sides of the plate in one game, setting a new record

By KEVIN STINER
May 16, 2011

COOPERSTOWN, N.Y. – Hitting a baseball is widely considered one of the most difficult tasks in all of sports. Many men dedicate their whole lives in an attempt to hit the ball consistently either as a right or left handed batter.

Mickey Mantle, however, hit the ball from both sides of the plate like no one before him.

Mickey Mantle was inducted into the Hall of Fame in 1974. (National Baseball Hall of Fame Library)

Fifty-five years ago this week – on May 18, 1956 – Mantle showcased his talents in an unprecedented way. Mantle connected for two round-trippers, one from the right side and one from the left – becoming the first player to achieve the single-game milestone three times in a career.

Mantle began the 1956 season on a torrid pace, entering the game on May 18 with a .387 batting average, 13 home runs and 29 RBI, leading the Yankees to an 18-10 start.

The Chicago White Sox sent staff ace Billy Pierce to the mound that day, hoping to avenge the loss from the game before. He was also off to a strong start in the season with a 4-1 record.

But Mantle went 2-for-2 against Pierce with a single, walk and a two-home run in the fifth inning. The Yankees had built a 5-1 lead by the time Pierce, a lefty, was removed from the action. But the White Sox rallied for two runs apiece in the sixth, seventh and eighth to take a 7-6 lead heading into the ninth inning.

The White Sox’s right-handed relief specialist Dixie Howell had already pitched a perfect eighth inning, striking out two. In the ninth he got the first two batters to ground out, so all that remained between a White Sox victory was Mantle.

Mantle stepped up to the plate, having already hit a home run from the right side, and now delivered one from the left side. He tied the game before the Yankees went on to win in the 10th inning.

Mantle began the season on a pace to break Babe Ruth’s single season home run record from 1927. Although he didn’t break the record, it didn’t stop him from earning his first of three career MVP awards. Mantle led the league in average, runs, home runs and RBI taking home the Triple Crown with a .353 average, 52 home runs, and 130 RBI.

Hall of Famer Bill Dickey saw the raw power Mantle possessed from both sides of the plate very early in his career.

“I was pitching batting practice when the kid came to the plate,” said Dickey. “The boy hit the first six balls nearly five hundred feet, over the lights and out of sight. He hit them over the fences right-handed and left-handed.”

Mantle finished his career with 10 games where he homered from both sides of the plate, a record at the time of his retirement.

Mantle joined Dickey in the Hall of Fame when he was inducted in his first year of eligibility in 1974.

(Kevin Stiner was the spring 2011 Public Relations intern for the National Baseball Hall of Fame and Museum)

"Say Hey Kid" celebrates 80th today!

Baseball great, Willie Mays celebrates his 80th birthday today!

Happy Birthday, Mr. Mays! You've brought joy and thrill to lots of folks. Just had to remember "the catch" before the day got away.

George Will's opening day baseball quiz

My good friend and college roommate, Dr. Jerry Cook sent me this delightful challenge for opening day from baseball fan/fanatic, Washington Post columnist George F. Will. 

Check it out here. 

Opening Day. . .at Last!

In recognition of "Opening Day 2011," enjoy the following reflection on the importance and transcendence of the national passtime! 

Take Me Out to the Ball Game

Spring is here, and Americans' thoughts turn — once again — to baseball
By Roger Rosenblatt
Parade Magazine, Sunday, March 27, 2011

When the game was over, I stood with a bunch of kids outside Yankee Stadium, waiting to get autographs. The Indians’ Bob Feller burst through the door, a losing-pitcher’s scowl on his face, and plowed through us, muttering his irritation. Offended, I reported it to my dad, who suggested I write a letter of complaint to the New York Times. I was 10, and it was 1951. I can’t recall if the Times ran my letter, or even if I mailed it. But the incident suggests what an innocent time that was, long before big money divided fans from the stars, when players were expected to sign baseballs and chat with kids in the street.

Yet even now, when a so-so reliever costs $5 million and the stadium serves quiche, baseball retains most of its innocence. Here we are, older and jaded, and still giddy as the season begins. Nothing in American life excites us this way. Of course, my “we” and “us” assume everyone loves the game, but why not? Baseball is America. It’s competitive. It’s green. And it’s such a well-made invention.
 
Read more here.

A home run I will always remember. . .

I was 10-years-old and watching the 7th game of the 1960 World Series between the New York Yankees and the Pittsburg Pirates. Bill Mazeroski came to the plate and the rest is history. I was cheering for New York, but I couldn't help being thrilled by this series ending blast. What a moment! It is as if it were yesterday. . .50 years ago!

Enjoy this post dedicated to my dear friend and partner, Keith Ackerman and his father, Bishop Ackerman.