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A Jewish perspective on winning

♦ November 8, 2009 ♦ Comments Off

It was a day of baseball that was both thrilling and frustrating. My son’s Winterball team played its best game this season, but the other team seemed to do better. So, when I opened my weekly newsletter from Aish.com, a story about the Jewish perspective on winning caught my attention. Read more »

Congratulations, Yankees

♦ November 4, 2009 ♦ Comments Off

The Yankees celebrate their 27th World Series championship. Photo: John Iacono/SI

I can’t remember the last time I had ever been right about a prediction, but the Yankees did win the World Series in six games. So, here’s to the Yankees and all of their fans. A tip of the cap to the Phillies as well for a great season and World Series. The plus of having a November World Series is that we don’t have to wait too long for next spring!

A batty decision

♦ October 29, 2009 ♦ 1 Comment

Deadspin.com (ESPN and the NBA’s favorite sports blog) reports an $850,000 settlement against Louisville Slugger in the accidental death of an 18-year-old baseball player. The pitcher was killed when he couldn’t react to a come-backer in time. A Montana jury found the bat manufacturer liable.

It’s terrible to see a young baseball player get killed, but why hold a bat manufacturer liable for a freak incident that happens in the course of a game? Read more »

So, who do you like in the World Series?

♦ October 27, 2009 ♦ 2 Comments

As a Dodgers fan, I should wish a pox on both the Yankees and Phillies in the World Series. At least, I should hope they freeze to death trying to play a summer game in November. (Seriously, Bud? You were probably wishing for a Freeway Series in sunny Southern California, weren’t you?)

If you followed the Dodgers in the late seventies, you remember the drill: We’d play the Phillies for the National League title against cursed Mike Schmidt and Steve Carlton. We’d play a nail-biting five-game series. Then, we’d go to the World Series, only to lose to the Yankees with – ugh – Reggie Jackson.

Reggie did win some love from me when he became an Angel and helped us win AL West titles in the eighties. I had to reconsider my feelings about the Yankees earlier this year because of this: Read more »

Lessons from a She-Fan (Updated)

♦ October 24, 2009 ♦ 3 Comments

Confessions of a She-Fan: The True Course of True Love with the New York Yankees by Jane HellerI just finished reading and enjoying Confessions of a She-Fan: The Course of True Love with the New York Yankeesby Jane Heller. You don’t have to be a Yankees fan to enjoy this book. In fact, we Angels fans can savor knowing that our team is now just below the Red Sox in the list of the teams that Yankee fans despise (especially after Game 5).

In this book, Jane, a lifelong Yankees fan, becomes so disgusted with the performance of the 2007 team that she publically divorces them in a column in the New York Times. After being accused of being a “bandwagon fan,” she puts together a book proposal to go to every remaining Yankees game that season. She hopes to get into the press box and interview one of the players, but she learns far more from being in the nosebleed seats with the other fans. In the end, she reconnects with her beloved team, gets an interview with Yankee (now Dodger) Doug Mientkiewicz, and shows all of us what it really means to be a baseball fan.

The book has valuable lessons for all of us who love this game. Read more »