Month: May 2019

Brilliant reader Pete reminds me that exactly three years ago, I wrote this story about Hamilton. Every week, someone mentions it to me. It’s one of the most personal stories I’ve ever written and — with Eliza my daughter about to become a senior in high school — I look back at and again I…

Of the 17 pitchers in baseball history who have struck out 3,000 batters in their careers, only four have also walked fewer than 1,000. Three of them — Curt Schilling, Greg Maddux, and Pedro Martinez — are of recent vintage. They pitched in a new game when hitters struck out unapologetically and ferociously. The fourth…

They simply don’t make ballplayers like Bill Buckner anymore. The times have changed. The game has changed. And, to be honest, our dreams have changed too. It just ain’t enough to never strike out. That was Billy Buck’s superpower: He almost never struck out. He did not develop his powers through radioactive spiders or the…

I can still see the 1979 baseball cards. No, literally, I can still see them, I have a handful of them in my hand right now. I love this Bob Horner card. Look at him — does that look like one of the most feared sluggers of the time? No, he looks like someone you…

I’m thinking about making some changes. Let me know what you think here.

Ten thoughts about the baseballs season. Thought 1: I cannot BELIEVE how bad the Nationals are. At the moment, the Washington Nationals have the second-worst record in the National League — or the worst record in the league if you prefer, as I do, to simply exclude the Miami Marlins until they decide to join…

In the days before Derek Jeter got his 3,000th hit, I wrote a 3,000-word essay about what he means. I’ve updated it here. Derek Jeter will not be remembered for 3,000 hits. None in the club are remembered for the number. That’s not exactly how it works. of the 32 men who have batted safely…

Today’s topic is golfer Brooks Koepka … and why nobody cares. I will admit right up front that the premise is questionable at best, that some people obviously DO care about Brooks Koepka, that you, in fact, might care about Brooks Koepka and, as such, will feel deeply offended by this whole exercise. If you…

Paul’s tweet triggered something in my mind. We don’t often build posts around home runs and RBIs because there are, I think, so many more interesting and revealing statistics. But the way Paul put that — how much are 28 homers and 98 RBIs worth today? — struck a chord with me. It got me…