It’s time for the annual Hot Stove spring training post. Pitchers and catchers were set to report on February 15. Position players on February 20. It would be time again to recite Dan Quisenberry’s poem on the “rituals of spring training,” and report on my friends at the games in Surprise, Arizona. Continue reading
The baseball lockout continues, but Lonnie’s Jukebox is open for business and spinning records by a special guest. Continue reading
Before I get to my baseball post, I want to pause a moment in remembrance of my long-time friend Wayne Tenenbaum. Wayne died on January 23 at the age of 80. A couple of years ago, I wrote a tribute to Ray Webb who I dubbed the “Most Unforgettable Character I Ever Met.” On reflection, Wayne might be tied with Ray for that title. Or maybe he is the most unforgettable from a different genre. The common trait was that they both made me laugh for decades. Continue reading
In the fall of 1964, I started law school at the University of Missouri at Kansas City. I soon met second-year student Wayne Tenenbaum, and we immediately hit it off. It was a friendship that continued uninterrupted for the next 57 years. Wayne died on January 23, 2022, at the age of 80. Obituary here.
Starting in 2002, I have posted an annual message for Martin Luther King Jr. Day. For the last several years, the message has been part of Hot Stove, and last year’s post was titled “Buck O’Neil on the Mountaintop.” It told the story of how Buck O’Neil, like Moses and King, had been to the mountaintop and seen – but not entered – the “Promised Land.” For Moses, the Promised Land was Israel. For King, equality, as eloquently presented in his last speech, “I’ve Been to the Mountaintop.” For Buck, the Hall of Fame. He was on the ballot in 2006, but did not receive the needed votes. Continue reading
It happened on August 9 this year. I turned 80. An octogenarian. OMG.
For most of my life, I thought “octogenarian” was synonymous with “old.” Just like this word cloud says.
Looking for a Christmas gift for a baseball fan? Or trying to nudge someone to give you a cool gift? Maybe a good book.
Two weeks ago, the New Yorker ran an excellent article about Pembroke-Country Day School, an all-boys private school in Kansas City (later to be merged into a coed school now known as Pembroke Hill). The author, 1973 Pem-Day graduate David Owen, tells the story of how primarily white senior classes from the 1960s booked rhythm and blues acts to play at their proms. Owen also adds context related to race and segregation in music and schools in those times. Click here for the article, but you may hit a paywall.
Rita and I were at the Negro Leagues Baseball Museum yesterday. We wanted to be “in the room where it happened” when word came that Buck O’Neil would be in the Hall of Fame. We were optimistic, but guarded. A similar crowd gathered in 2006, and Buck did not make it.
On November 30, 2015, the inaugural issue of Hot Stove was posted (Hot Stove #1). Six years ago tomorrow. Time sure flies. Continue reading