August 2024
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On August 21st, 1881, The Eclipse club refused to play against the Chicago Whites in Louisville because of a black player named Fleet Walker on the Chicago team. Walker would go on to play for the Toledo Blue Stockings in the American Association in 1884 and is generally regarded as the first black player in major league baseball. I sometimes suspect that the angry MAGA Read more
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On August 20th, 1986, Dave Winfield hit his 300th homer in a losing cause as the Yanks fell to Seattle, 5 – 2. It is difficult to imagine that there is any other small city in America that has turned out as many great baseball players as St. Paul, Minnesota. There are four St. Paul, Minnesota, natives in the Read more
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Last week I got the following email from Google. Apparently a picture I took of a scone and a latte at Spyhouse Coffee in Minneapolis over five years ago has been viewed now by 80,000 people. Who knew? When I went to the link to see other photos I may have posted on Google and Read more
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On August 18th, 1902, The first unassisted triple play ever in a professional game was executed by first baseman Hal O’Hagan, of the Rochester Bronchos (Eastern League) against Jersey City. There have been only 15 Unassisted Triple plays in the history of Major League Baseball: The most famous of these rare events, of course, is the one Wabbsganss pulled of during Read more
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On August 17th, 1973, 42-year old New York Mets outfielder Willie Mays hit the 660th and final home run of his career off Cincinnati Reds lefty Don Gullett at Shea Stadium. Mays was third on the all-time home run career list at that time behind Babe Ruth (714) and Hank Aaron (703). Mays would retire after Read more
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On August 16th, 2015, Madison Bumgarner did it all as he threw a three-hit shutout to defeat the Nationals, 5 – 0 (to improve his record to 14-6). The Giants ace had 14 strikeouts, matching a career best. But he also hit a double and a homer, his fourth long ball of the season, to help his own cause. For the Nats, Read more
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On August 15th, 1991, New York Yankees first baseman Don Mattingly was benched and fined $250 for refusing to cut his shoulder-length hair, but the Yankees still beat Kansas City, 5 – 1. He would get a haircut two days later, and the hair will eventually be auctioned off for $3,000 to benefit a children’s charity. Mattingly is not Read more
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Dave Kingman’s home run, a monstrous blast estimated to have travelled 515 feet, was, and will now always remain, the longest round-tripper ever hit at old Shea Stadium. “Kong’s” tape-measure home run, a solo shot over the left-center wall, came in the fourth inning off Larry Christenson in the Mets’ 8-4 loss to Philadelphia. For Read more
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On August 13th, 1965, at the Astrodome, then Houston Astro Rusty Staub singled home the game-winner in the ninth to slip past the New York Mets, 3-2. The Mets blew their 2-0 lead when they let Joe Morgan get the winning run on base when two Mets collided under an easy pop fly. Rusty Staub, Read more
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Long story short: On my recent vacation to Pittsburgh, I visited my 200th brew pub, dutifully recorded it in the brewery app on my iPhone, took pictures to celebrate the event, and then promptly removed the app from my phone and began counting coffee shops. Then when I got home I changed this blog’s subtitle Read more
ClimbingSky 