2019 Playoffs: The playoffs began with ten teams. Now there are four.
Oakland and Milwaukee dropped out quickly in the two sudden-death wild-card games. The AL wild-card winner was Tampa Bay, and in the NL, it was Washington.
Hot Stove
Hot Stove #107 – Jack, Phillies, D.C. and Rhiannon
This morning, I had breakfast with David Matson, Steve Roling, Jeb Bayer and Bob White. We do this every month or so to talk mostly baseball. But we gathered this morning to remember and celebrate Jack Campbell who has been part of our group. Jack passed away last Sunday and his funeral was yesterday (obituary).
Hot Stove #106 – John Sherman – Born in the American League
The biggest Royals news this year is that the team will soon have a new owner – John Sherman of Kansas City.
Sherman became an investor in the Cleveland Indians in 2016, but that interest will be sold when he and his co-investors acquire the Royals in November.
Hot Stove #105 – 2019 Telluride Film Festival
For the baseball/but-not-movie fans of Hot Stove, feel free to hit delete now. Otherwise…
For our 9th year in a row, Rita and I attended the Telluride Film Festival. We were joined by our friend Avie Sullivan who was attending Telluride for the first time. She did great – saw 17 films (Rita and I settled for 14, still enough to qualify for what Rita calls the “Sport of Extreme Sitting”). The weather was grand, sunny and ranging from the 50s to the 70s, so standing in line between movies was a pleasure.
Hot Stove Short – Jorge Soler Passes Bob Cerv and Mike Moustakas
While Rita and I were flying back from the Telluride Film Festival last night, Jorge Soler hit his record-setting 39th home run. The previous “Kansas City” record for homers in a season was 38, set by Bob Cerv (1958) and Mike Moustakas (2017).
Below, with the scoreboard reading that he is tied with Moustakas at 38, Soler hits #39 (photo by Royals photographer Jason Hanna).
Hot Stove #104 – Seinfeld Baseball Chronicles
The Mets were in Kansas City this past weekend. Friday night was “Beatles Night” to celebrate the appearance by the band in Kansas City 55 years ago – at Municipal Stadium at 22nd and Brooklyn, hosted by A’s owner Charlie Finley. Since 14-year-old Rita Leifhelm was at that concert in 1964, we of course had to go to the Royals anniversary party. Rita bought us Beatles tee-shirts to wear and arranged transportation with uber (small “u” – i.e., outstanding) driver Pat Titterington and his wife Cheryl Dillard. The Royals did little during the game to remind you it was Beatles Night, but the band’s music was played during the quite spectacular fireworks show. Continue reading
Update – Hot Stove/Lonnie’s Jukebox Website
Turned 78 today, or as I like to think, 25.556 Celsius.
Rita has this thing that you are only as old as the high temperature on your birthday. Easy for her to say. She was born in December. Under her theory, I am forecast to be 88 today. Or as I like to think, 31.111 Celsius.
When I turned 75, my friends-of-long-standing Diana and Larry Brewer gave me a tee-shirt that converted my age to…Celsius. This year, they sent me the baseball-themed card you see below. The inside message reads “Hope your birthday is a major-league good time.” I’m sure it will be. Rita and I will be walking down the hill to enjoy a birthday dinner at Capital Grille at its new location on the Plaza. Continue reading
Hot Stove Special Edition – Landing on the Moon – The Day Baseball Stood Still
Fifty years ago today, at 3:17 Kansas City time, the first humans landed on the moon. At that moment, there were eight major league games in progress. It was the Sunday before the All-Star break.
The title of this post is borrowed from the science fiction classic The Day the Earth Stood Still, a movie I saw in 1951 at the age of ten. I was reminded of the film this past week by a headline in the Washington Post: When Apollo 11 landed on the moon, major league baseball stood still. The Post article featured what happened at Yankee Stadium fifty years ago, and I took to Google to find out what happened at some other stadiums.
Hot Stove #103 – Wimbledon in 1989 and 2019; Saying Goodbye to Jim Bouton, Tyler Skaggs and Dave Bartholomew
I’m going to start with tennis, but if Wimbledon is not your cup of tea (get it), please feel free to skip to Jim Bouton and Tyler Skaggs for some pure baseball.
Breakfast at Wimbledon: Rita and I attended “Breakfast at Wimbledon” on Saturday and Sunday. Via ESPN.
We were also there thirty years ago. But that time at Centre Court. And closer to lunch time.
Hot Stove #102 – Five Stadiums in Five Days – Minneapolis to Cincinnati
The All-Star game is tomorrow night in Cleveland. Below, something to keep you busy between innings and during mound visits.
Rita and I recently completed our fourth annual stadium tour. We were joined on the bus by 43 other baseball fans from around the country. As always, the tickets, hotels and other details were superbly handled by Darren Zinser who runs Triple Crown Travel (click here if you have an interest in a future trip). First stop, Minneapolis…