Hot Stove #133 – Black Lives Matter – Sports Edition

1963-Martin-Luther-King-Jackie-Robinson - KRUI Radio
~ Lonnie Shalton

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 →

Hot Stove #132 – Golf Diaries – Ruth, Kaat and Yogi

https://i.ebayimg.com/images/g/bT8AAOSwM49Z4sU1/s-l1600.jpg
~ Lonnie Shalton

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 →

Hot Stove #131 – Royals All-Time Roster, Jerry Stiller/Frank Costanza and Three Birthdays

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~ Lonnie Shalton

This is Day 63 of our self-quarantine (started St. Patrick’s Day, March 17). But we are no longer under Kansas City’s Stay-At-Home order which expired last Friday.

Going to stay at home anyway – we didn’t get any younger since this started and so remain in a high-risk category. I recommend an excellent primer on measuring risk for your activities – click here (but read your Hot Stove first and then come back to this). The good news – walking outside is virtually risk free. Whatever we do, let’s be careful out there (as Sgt. Esterhaus  would say). Continue reading →

Hot Stove #129 – 75 Years Ago in Kansas City – Jackie Robinson’s First Opening Day; 50 Years Ago in Louisville – A Gonzo Kentucky Derby

Fear and Loathing on the Campaign Trail '72 by Hunter S. Thompson ...
~ Lonnie Shalton

This is Day 49 of our self-quarantine and Day 42 of KC’s Stay-At-Home order (currently set to end on May 15).

If the baseball season had proceeded as planned this year, all MLB players would have worn #42 on April 15 – the 73rd anniversary of the date Jackie Robinson broke the color line in major league baseball.

Continue reading →