Last Thursday night, I had a dilemma. Rita and I were watching the Chiefs game, but my Twitter feed was telling me that Brady Singer had allowed no hits through six innings. Then seven innings. I switched channels to DVR the Royals game. Then back to football, but following the Royals on my phone. Two outs in the 8th – then a hit. Damn. But what an exciting night for KC sports fans.
I’ll start with a Yogi-ism. “If people don’t want to come out to the ballpark, nobody’s going to stop them.”
This quote is from the 1960s, and Yogi was referring to the sagging attendance of the Kansas City A’s caused by Charlie Finley’s persistent efforts to relocate the A’s. Charlie got his wish and moved the team to Oakland in 1968. Continue reading
Hot Stove #138 – A Season on the Edge
Just when we thought the Royals season might be gone, they win four in a row. Baseball. Let’s hope the winning streak gets extended tonight in Cincinnati. Continue reading
“Hi, my name is Ray Webb. Perhaps you’ve heard of me.”
That was Ray Webb’s trademark opening line when he met someone new. A lot of people had indeed heard of Ray. And a good number of us will never forget him.
After a league-wide 102-game rain delay, the Royals open the 2020 season tonight at Progressive Field in Cleveland.
I woke up Saturday morning with the intent to work on a Hot Stove about baseball’s long-delayed opening day. But there were early emails from Irv Blond, Diana Brewer and Bill Lochman. All with the same sad message – Congressman John Lewis had died Friday night.
New plan. Must write about John Lewis. Continue reading
Are you ready for some baseball? Looks like the clouds are parting. Continue reading
Two events from last week merged in my mind to prompt this post.
First, the Negro Leagues Baseball Museum reopened after being closed three months for the pandemic. So please put on your mask, then head down to 18th and Vine to get a baseball fix while we await the truncated MLB season. Continue reading
I could stick to baseball. Or movies. Or music. But not right now.
I am going to talk about current events, but will set the stage with a Jackie Robinson story. In April and May of 1963, Martin Luther King was in Birmingham for civil rights demonstrations. Jackie Robinson was at home in New York and raising money to send to King to help finance the effort. After Robinson watched scenes of police brutality against non-violent protestors, he decided to go to Birmingham to visibly support King. Below, Robinson with King at the church rally where they spoke. Continue reading
This is Day 73 of self-quarantine. And the beat goes on.
Many Hot Stove readers have escaped quarantine by playing golf – a game by its nature a form of social distancing. There have been some changes. Don’t touch the pin. No rakes in the sand traps. No clubhouse. One person per golf cart. Or in some places no carts, meaning you have to carry your clubs or roll them along on a wheeled gadget. As headlined in the Wall Street Journal: “We’re out of toilet paper, hand sanitizer – and golf pushcarts?” Google has documented that the top trending retail category last month was golf-bag accessories, and the most popular subtopics were golf pushcarts, golf pull carts and, selling on eBay at a premium, the Clickgear 4.0. Continue reading