Dr. K Strikes Out

It took 57 years and then some, but I finally struck out in slo-pitch softball.
Happened in the third inning last night, during a 10-9 extra-inning loss. Took a couple of pitches, one for a strike, then swung and missed twice.
How humbling. Still can’t believe it happened. Been bummed out all day.
Despite the loss, we made [...]

Dreams Come True for The Goose

It was the signature moment in the career of Hall of Famer Rich “Goose” Gossage.
October 2, 1978, a cool, crisp New England afternoon in Boston. Hint of autumn in the year. Yankees vs. Red Sox at Fenway Park. American League East title and a playoff berth on the line.
A game within a season, and a [...]

Giants Giving Loyal Fans The Sack

The New York Giants are Super Bowl winners, world champions.
But they are nothing but world chumps when it comes to treating their loyal fan base.
Several weeks back, the Giants announced that they would impose one-time, personal seat license fees on all ticket-holders to help raise revenue for their new stadium, below, scheduled to open in [...]

Bernie Goes Boom — Out of Yankee Stadium

According to legend, no player has ever hit a fair ball out of Yankee Stadium
Well, not exactly.
More than seven years ago, July 22, 2001, Yankees outfielder Bernie Williams hit a ball that left the stadium, over the old Yankee bullpen in right field and onto the elevated tracks of the 4 line.
I was at [...]

Giants Bid Adieu to Shockey

Last month, I wrote a blog calling for the Giants to get rid of disgruntled tight end and All-Pro distraction Jeremy Shockey. Yesterday, that blog came true.
The Giants shipped Shockey to the New Orleans for the Saints second and fifth round picks in next year’s NFL draft. Second-round selections have been good to the Giants [...]

Yankee Numbers Don’t Add Up

Entering the second half of the season, the numbers don’t add up for the New York Yankees. At the All-Star break, the Yankees were mired in third place, trailing both the Red Sox and the Devil Rays in the AL East..
And it doesn’t get any easier. Consider these numbers:
67: Games remaining for Yankees after All-Star [...]

Say Hey Kid: Willie Mays Is The Greatest

Several years ago, my son, who is as big a baseball fan as I am, asked me who was the greatest ballplayer I ever saw….in person?
Willie Mays I replied without hesitation. It wasn’t even close.
Saw Williams and Musial, Mantle and Aaron, Ripken and Gwynn, and Bonds too.
Willie Mays, the Say Hey Kid, was [...]

IBM Hits a Home Run

IBM hit a home run this week with a stellar second quarter earnings report.
And major league baseball hit a home run of its own with the announcement that it will be using WebSphere Portal software from IBM to improve the authentication process for memorable home runs.
Just imagine if that technology had been in place for [...]

Baseball Stars Shine Brightest

The NFL Pro Bowl is an afterthought, the NHL All-Star Game a scoring orgy (is scorgy a word?), the NBA All-Star Game an in-your-face slamfest.
This year’s All-Star game proved once again — with authority — that baseball is still America’s pastime. There’s something about the good pitching vs. good hitting confrontation that works in the [...]

The SportsLifer Top 10

It was a tough call, but in the end Bucky Dent won out. The SportsLifer’s top 50 memorable sports events attended came down to a pair of decisive baseball games between the Red Sox and Yankees 25 years apart.
Bucky Dent’s decisive three-run homer against the Red Sox in the 1978 American League East playoff game [...]