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    • Last night Dropkick Murphys streamed a 2 hour concert for charity (of which I've only watched the first 20 minutes or so). I put the link here as they did the concert from Fenway,and if you jump ahead to the 6:00 minute mark they give a 5 minute or so tour of the park which I found interesting. There is a garden there -- Fenway Farm -- (besides Scotty...who knew?) and the story of the red chair. One of the band members used to sneak into games with 9 of his friends; security could only catch 1 of them so 9 got a free baseball game and 1 had a crappy afternoon. Interesting enough that I plan on searching youtube for a more indepth and professional video of Fenway.

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    • max.patch wrote:

      Last night Dropkick Murphys streamed a 2 hour concert for charity (of which I've only watched the first 20 minutes or so). I put the link here as they did the concert from Fenway,and if you jump ahead to the 6:00 minute mark they give a 5 minute or so tour of the park which I found interesting. There is a garden there -- Fenway Farm -- (besides Scotty...who knew?) and the story of the red chair. One of the band members used to sneak into games with 9 of his friends; security could only catch 1 of them so 9 got a free baseball game and 1 had a crappy afternoon. Interesting enough that I plan on searching youtube for a more indepth and professional video of Fenway.


      Liked the intro by Kevin Bacon too.
      Was hoping to catch a game at Fenway this summer. Oh well, ther is always next year. :)
      The road to glory cannot be followed with much baggage.
      Richard Ewell, CSA General
    • I was hoping to catch a game this summer at the Pawtucket Red Sox's McCoy Stadium. Unfortunately, they are moving to Worcester next year, so there won't be a next year.

      McCoy Stadium has some great history including hosting the longest professional baseball game ever played ---- 33 innings.
      “Of all sad words of tongue or pen,
      the saddest are these, 'It might have been.”


      John Greenleaf Whittier
    • IMScotty wrote:

      I was hoping to catch a game this summer at the Pawtucket Red Sox's McCoy Stadium. Unfortunately, they are moving to Worcester next year, so there won't be a next year.

      McCoy Stadium has some great history including hosting the longest professional baseball game ever played ---- 33 innings.
      Sorry about that. At this point I am just hoping we can get something at least on TV beyond KBO.
      The road to glory cannot be followed with much baggage.
      Richard Ewell, CSA General
    • LOL, so Lenny Dykstra sues former teammate Ron Darling for defamation because of comments Darling made in his book.

      And the judge dismisses the lawsuit becasue (paraphrasing here) Dykstra's reputation was already so bad that nothing can make it any worse.

      usatoday.com/story/sports/mlb/…ing-dismissed/5309597002/

      <snip>

      “Based on the papers submitted on this motion, prior to the publication of the book, Dykstra was infamous for being, among other things, racist, misogynist, and anti-gay, as well as a sexual predator, a drug-abuser, a thief, and an embezzler,” Kalish wrote.

      (Kalish is the judge)
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      The post was edited 1 time, last by max.patch ().

    • max.patch wrote:

      LOL, so Lenny Dykstra sues former teammate Ron Darling for defamation because of comments Darling made in his book.

      And the judge dismisses the lawsuit becasue (paraphrasing here) Dykstra's reputation was already so bad that nothing can make it any worse.

      usatoday.com/story/sports/mlb/…ing-dismissed/5309597002/

      <snip>

      “Based on the papers submitted on this motion, prior to the publication of the book, Dykstra was infamous for being, among other things, racist, misogynist, and anti-gay, as well as a sexual predator, a drug-abuser, a thief, and an embezzler,” Kalish wrote.

      (Kalish is the judge)
      Nails was an awesome player on the field.
      Off the field, definitely bad news and not someone you wanted around.
      The road to glory cannot be followed with much baggage.
      Richard Ewell, CSA General
    • Astro wrote:

      max.patch wrote:

      LOL, so Lenny Dykstra sues former teammate Ron Darling for defamation because of comments Darling made in his book.

      And the judge dismisses the lawsuit becasue (paraphrasing here) Dykstra's reputation was already so bad that nothing can make it any worse.

      usatoday.com/story/sports/mlb/…ing-dismissed/5309597002/

      <snip>

      “Based on the papers submitted on this motion, prior to the publication of the book, Dykstra was infamous for being, among other things, racist, misogynist, and anti-gay, as well as a sexual predator, a drug-abuser, a thief, and an embezzler,” Kalish wrote.

      (Kalish is the judge)
      Nails was an awesome player on the field.Off the field, definitely bad news and not someone you wanted around.
      One one side you have a guy who went to Yale, on the other side a guy who spent time in federal prison. Not surprising how this one turned out.
      The road to glory cannot be followed with much baggage.
      Richard Ewell, CSA General
    • RIP Claudell Washington 65 years old.

      Best known for hitting a foul ball that was caught by Ferris Bueller in the movie Ferris Buellers Day Off.

      Others may remember that Nolan Ryan struck him out 39 times; more than any other batter he faced.

      Here he is in action. This video is somehow "flipped" -- Washington was a left handed batter.



      Here is the video shown correctly. You'll have to jump ahead to the 1:30 mark to get to the baseball scene.

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    • LOL, Pardon the Interruption (PTI) covered the Claudell Washington death today and they actually mentioned that his "most famous swing" was the one in Ferris Buellers Day Off. Didn't show the video, though , instead opting for a picture of the 3 main characters in the movie.
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    • Came across this mural today in Nashua, NH. Apparently the Nashua Dodgers (a minor league team of the Brooklyn Dodgers) had the first integrated team in the United States in 1946. Hall of Famer Roy Campanella and Cy Young winner Don Newcombe were signed by Branch Rickie to play for the Nashua Dodgers. Yes, Rickie had signed Jackie Robinson in 1945, but he was assigned to play for the Montreal Royals farm team (a fine distinction I know, but what else does Nashua have to brag about?).



      While driving around Nashua, NH today I learned that Don & Roy were the first to integrate a MLB baseball team in one of the whitest states of the nation.

      To their eternal shame, the Boston Red Sox was the last major league baseball team to integrate, finally playing Pumpsie Green in 1959.
      “Of all sad words of tongue or pen,
      the saddest are these, 'It might have been.”


      John Greenleaf Whittier
    • Bill Veeck tried to buy the Philadelphia Phillies in the early 1940s and had funding approved, but once the other owners learned he planned to bring in several players from the Negro Leauge, they blocked it. He did bring in Larry Doby to Cleveland (first in AL) after Jackie Robinson in the NL.
      The road to glory cannot be followed with much baggage.
      Richard Ewell, CSA General
    • Five Philadelphia Phillies players and three staff members who gathered for workouts at their Clearwater, Fla., training facility have tested positive for COVID-19, the team confirmed Friday. In addition, 20 major- and minor-league players and 10 other staff members are awaiting results of tests.

      The club's facility has been closed.

      SHUT IT DOWN.

      No MLB.
      No NBA.
      No NFL.

      Why is money more important than lives?
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    • Max,

      These guys are young and healthy. There is very little chance any harm will come to the players. If you are concerned about the people they may come in contact with (family members and such), I think they are suppose to maintain some level of social distancing during the 'season.'

      I say, "Let's play ball!"
      “Of all sad words of tongue or pen,
      the saddest are these, 'It might have been.”


      John Greenleaf Whittier
    • (Not being a historian of baseball, this was all new to me.)

      Pic from June SI - baseball in 1918 during Spanish flu:

      s.yimg.com/ny/api/res/1.2/bztX…d1-11ea-98c7-f27f0a31a151

      Found this when looking for picture:

      Though the first case of the flu appeared in the United States in March 1918, the MLB season began as scheduled on April 16 and completed most of its slate. It cut one month off the end of the season and ended with Game 6 of the World Series on Sept. 11, which the Boston Red Sox won against the Chicago Cubs. The game played at Braves Field over Fenway Park due to the larger setting, and attendance was lower than usual.

      But that game helped spread a new strain of the virus and caused a second wave of the influenza in the United States. In August, soldiers and sailors returned home from World War I and docked in Boston. Johnny Smith, a sports history professor at Georgia Tech and co-author of the new book, “War Fever: Boston, Baseball, and America in the Shadow of the Great War, told Forbes:

      “And it’s during this period when the Red Sox and Cubs are playing the World Series that these social gatherings – three games at Fenway Park, a draft registration drive, a Liberty Loan parade – all of those events and the regular interactions that people had on streetcars and in saloons and so on helped spread the virus,” Smith continued. “And Boston becomes really the epicenter of the outbreak in September of 1918.”
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    • After 1918 the Red Sox would not win the World Series for another 86 years!
      Curse of the Bambino, or Curse of the Spanish Flu?

      Is there going to be a baseball season this year? I am disgusted with the lot of them.
      They are killing baseball.
      “Of all sad words of tongue or pen,
      the saddest are these, 'It might have been.”


      John Greenleaf Whittier
    • IMScotty wrote:

      Is there going to be a baseball season this year? I am disgusted with the lot of them.

      They are killing baseball.
      All of the writers appear to be taking the players side, but I would defintely come down on the owners side. They are going to lose money and the players are already way overpaid. Where else are they going to get paid like that?

      Really wish the owners had not caved in to them back in 94-95, they just pass the crazy salaries in a normal season on to the fans.
      The road to glory cannot be followed with much baggage.
      Richard Ewell, CSA General

      The post was edited 1 time, last by Astro ().

    • Jim Crane wants to sell you a ticket, a ball cap, and a hot dog and cold beer with a CV chaser.

      <snip>

      Still, it's a pandemic. Crane's desire to make money from ticket sales won't change the reality of the health crisis hitting the globe. He's not in any danger of going broke. Crane is just driven by reckless greed at this point, and given what unfolded with MLB owners the past three months, nobody should be surprised.

      usatoday.com/story/sports/ftw/…-fans-2020-mlb/112004982/
      2,000 miler
    • max.patch wrote:

      Jim Crane wants to sell you a ticket, a ball cap, and a hot dog and cold beer with a CV chaser.

      <snip>

      Still, it's a pandemic. Crane's desire to make money from ticket sales won't change the reality of the health crisis hitting the globe. He's not in any danger of going broke. Crane is just driven by reckless greed at this point, and given what unfolded with MLB owners the past three months, nobody should be surprised.

      usatoday.com/story/sports/ftw/…-fans-2020-mlb/112004982/
      Allowing for a packed stadium would be foolish in the current situation.
      An empty stadium would be equally foolish.
      Somewhere in between is a safe number of fans that could see these games and allow the owners to make a little more in revenue.
      I'm thinking something around 10% capacity.
      “Of all sad words of tongue or pen,
      the saddest are these, 'It might have been.”


      John Greenleaf Whittier
    • LOL at sports programming.

      Watched the MLB channel after dinner which showed the movie Brewsters Millions. Not complaining, Richard Pryor plays a minor league baseball pitcher and I probably hadn't seen the movie in 20 years.

      Then I flipped around and watched a little bit of Fox Sports. They had 2 hours of the WAL -- World Armwrestling League (who knew?). And it wasn't even a live event; they dug this out of the 2018 archives. I think the cupboards getting bare at Fox.
      2,000 miler
    • max.patch wrote:

      LOL at sports programming.

      Watched the MLB channel after dinner which showed the movie Brewsters Millions. Not complaining, Richard Pryor plays a minor league baseball pitcher and I probably hadn't seen the movie in 20 years.

      Then I flipped around and watched a little bit of Fox Sports. They had 2 hours of the WAL -- World Armwrestling League (who knew?). And it wasn't even a live event; they dug this out of the 2018 archives. I think the cupboards getting bare at Fox
      Always enjoyed that movie, although you do have to suspend belief a little bit, like with the train. :)
      The road to glory cannot be followed with much baggage.
      Richard Ewell, CSA General
    • While I may have thru hiked the AT in addition to many weekend and section hikes, I'm sure I have more lifetime miles on the trails of Kennesaw Mountain where I've lived nearby most of my adult life.

      In light of current events I was curious and asked Google...

      How did Kenesaw Mountain Landis get his name?

      His name was a spelling variation on the Battle of Kennesaw Mountain in the American Civil War, where his father, a Union soldier, was wounded in 1864.
      2,000 miler

      The post was edited 1 time, last by max.patch ().

    • This has obviously been an ongoing story but I just learned about it yesterday.

      The baseball season (if it still happens) starts in a week. As of right now the Toronto Blue Jays don't know where they are going to play their home games.

      Canada has a hard and fast 14 day quarantine for people coming from the USA. The Blue Jays are trying to get this waived but have not been able to do so yet. Their options are their AAA facilities in Buffalo, NY or their spring training facilities in Dunedin, FL. They prefer Buffalo due to the spike of CV in Florida.

      I hope the Canadian government stands firm. The health of their citizens is more important playing a baseball game. If they feel a quarantine is necessary -- then no expceptions for baseball!
      2,000 miler
    • RE: Blue Jays

      Wow, that is an interesting complication. While the stands would be empty, I would think it would be kind of neat for the people of Buffalo to have some MLB games played in their city.
      “Of all sad words of tongue or pen,
      the saddest are these, 'It might have been.”


      John Greenleaf Whittier
    • It's not just a 14 day quarantine in Canada. The borders are closed except for immediate family members of Canadians citizens or essential travel. My wife's sister lives in Canada but sisters are not even considered immediate family so we can't go. Before getting a quarantine exemption, baseball teams would have to be qualified as essential.