Tag Archives: baseball

Kevin Costner Supports Omaha’s “Field of Dreams”

Who knew there’d ever come a time when Kevin Costner and my dad would have something in common? The Academy Award-winner (Costner, not my dad) has never been shy about expressing his love for baseball. Whenever the “Field of Dreams” star gets a chance to support America’s favorite past time he steps up to the plate—-no questions asked. In keeping with that tradition, Costner is now appearing on TV commercials asking viewers to support a famous ballpark in Omaha, Nebraska. Rosenblatt Stadium has hosted the College World Series each summer for more than 50 years. This year alone the stadium … Continue reading →

Bond’s Record Breaking Baseball Sold at Auction

What a difference a ball makes! If you had been lucky enough to catch Barry Bond’s record breaking #756 ball – the one that broke Hank Aaron’s old all time home run record – it would have been like catching a quarter of a million dollars. Yes, it is true. The owner of the ball, lucky New York tourist Matt Murphy, caught the ball last month. The 22-year-old was then escorted away from the crowd by police for security purposes. I find it a bit fitting that, due to all the controversy over Bonds and the record being broken, Murphy … Continue reading →

Baseball Tips for Kids (and Parents too!)

“Mom, can we go play some baseball together?” This question was posed to me recently by my six year-old daughter. My initial response was, well, no because two people do not make a team and it’s hard to play ball with just two people. But that’s not necessarily true. If you both have gloves, you can play catch. If you have gloves and a bat you can practice hitting. So it’s doable – but unfortunately for my daughter, I’m terrible at throwing. But what the heck, let’s give it a shot anyway. In the meanwhile, if you’re looking to organize … Continue reading →

The Natural (1984)

Robert Redford stars in “The Natural” as Roy Hobbs, a young man with a dream. He wants to be the best baseball player that ever lived, and he’s got the talent to make that dream come true. While heading off on a trip to talk to some coaches about playing, he meets a woman on the train, a mysterious, alluring woman named Harriet Bird. Also on the train is a ball player known as “The Whammer” for his amazing ability with a bat. The Whammer challenges Roy to a contest – if Roy can strike him out on three pitches, … Continue reading →

Sports This Week: Two Baseball Deaths, Bonds Closes in on a Record

Two Baseball Deaths I found it somewhat odd today that I read about two very different baseball deaths that occurred Sunday. One was that of minor league coach Mike Coolbaugh. Mike was hit in the head by a line drive during a game between the Double-A Tulsa Drillers, for whom Mike was a first base coach, and the Arkansas Travelers. After he was hit, CPR was administered and he was taken to Baptist Medical Center in North Little Rock, but pronounced dead at 9:47 pm. Mike had two small boys and another baby on the way. What struck me as … Continue reading →

Angels in the Outfield (1994)

This feel-good family film tells the story of Roger Bomman, (Joseph Gordon-Leavit) a boy who has been placed in foster care by his shiftless widowed father (Dermot Mulroney). Roger has been living in Maggie’s foster care home for a number of months, all the time holding on to the hope that his father will come get him, but when his father does come, it’s to tell him that he will be given over to the state permanently. His dad just can’t get it together enough to take care of him. When Roger asks, “When will we be a family again?” … Continue reading →

Take Me Out to the Ballgame…

My husband, Paul, and son David love to go to the ballgame. The problem is, with salaries in the stratosphere, ticket prices are outrageous. We’ve found a better way. Most all of the Major League teams have special promotions. One of our favorites is the Master Card Grand Slam family promotion. On specific Wednesday nights throughout the season, Master Card subsidizes tickets: four tickets, four hotdogs, and four Pepsis for $50. Doesn’t sound like a bargain? When you consider that in-the-park hotdogs are $6 apiece and drinks are $4 each, it’s a huge savings. There are a lot of other … Continue reading →

Indoor Baseball

Posted on by

Up until recently, the weather has been frightful on the East Coast. The first few weeks of the baseball season have seen postponements due to snow and sub-freezing temperatures. It is for this reason that my family has taken to playing an indoor, more imaginative variation of our national pastime. Around 7pm when our hometown Major League ball club, the Philadelphia Phillies, take the field, we recreate a baseball diamond on our living room floor. Using nothing more than three square pillows from the sofa, an old toy hardhat, a washcloth bear from the bathroom, a small stuffed animal duck … Continue reading →

Free Fanpacks from your Favorite MLB Team

Yeah, it’s “stuff”. What you get varies. They’re fan packs, stuff that the franchises send out to fans who ask. Sometimes it’s nothing more than a card or magnet, other times it’s photos and memorabilia. If you’re a real sports fan, anything from your team is worth it! Especially when all it will cost you is an email. Here’s a sample one I sent to the Mariners. Dear Mariners, We love you when you’re up, and we love you when you’re in a rebuilding phase. Every member of the family is a fan, especially my 12 and 14 year old … Continue reading →

Rollie Fingers – The IRS is Calling!

If you grew up in the 70s and watched baseball on television as I did, chances are you remember who Rollie Fingers is. He was memorable for several things, but as a child, I remembered just two – his odd name and his mustache. He had one of those funny handlebar mustaches that curl up on each end. He was also a great pitcher, which I can now recognize as an adult. He was in the major leagues for 17 years and used first as a reliever (a pitcher who comes in after the starting pitcher is either hurt, tired, … Continue reading →