ClimbingSky

Why Baseball, Books, and the Grateful Dead matter


  • For the most part, inter-league play is one of the best ideas that Major League Baseball ever came up with. But having said that, for some reason the American League Central Division Minnesota Twins are ending their season this year with a 3-game series at the National League Eastern Division Philadelphia Phillies. That makes no… Read more

  • “It’s ridiculous to talk about freedom in a society dominated by huge corporations. What kind of freedom is there inside a corporation? They’re totalitarian institutions. You take orders from above and maybe give them to people below you. There’s about as much freedom as under Stalinism.” ~Noam Chomsky Read more

  • Throwback Thursdays” at ClimbingSky feature posts I wrote over a 15 year period for various blogs. This was first posted on July 17, 2011. There are many excellent sources for finding new poems and poets on the web. One of my favorite sites, and a frequent stop for me, is the Poetry magazine website. That is where I found… Read more

  • Yesterday I posted about research I had done on Lead-Off Homers hit by opposition teams/players at the two most recent Minnesota Twins stadiums: Hubert H. Humphrey Dome (1982-2009) vs. at Target Field (2010-present. Today, I want to look at the lead-ff homers hit by the Minnesota Twins in the bottom of the first inning when… Read more

  • When I tune into an away game and see that Byron Buxton is batting leadoff for my local nine, the Minnesota Twins, I always feel like the Twinkies have a chance. Nothing sets the tone of a game like a 1-0 start. As readers of ClimbingSky may know, my favorite leadoff hitter of all time,… Read more

  • I dispatched my dinner as soon as possible. The dessert was scarcely served, when the infernal Volanges, probably with a design to prejudice me, got up to follow the charming woman. I foresaw this project, but disappointed her. I feigned to take this particular motion for a general one; and rising at the same time,… Read more

  • George Brett

    On September 20th, 1980, George Brett who was trying to become the first hitter with a ..400+ batting average since Ted Williams in 1941 went 0-4 against the OAKLAND Athletics. That brought his season batting average below .400. He ended the season with a .390 batting average. In my mind, .400 is the Holy Grail… Read more

  • “When Fascism came into power, most people were unprepared, both theoretically and practically. They were unable to believe that man could exhibit such propensities for evil, such lust for power, such disregard for the rights of the weak, or such yearning for submission. Only a few had been aware of the rumbling of the volcano… Read more

  • Throwback Thursdays” at ClimbingSky feature posts I wrote over a 15 year period for various blogs. This was first posted on July 24, 2016 This time of year we notice the days growing shorter already in the North Country. Since I am up everyday between 5:00 and 5:30, the later and later sunrises become more noticeable every… Read more

  • James “Red” Bird

    On September 17th, 1921, James “Red” Bird, at the age of 31, pitched in his first and last Major League game for the Washington Senators. Red Bird was born in Stephenville, Texas, on April 25th, 1890. Today Stephenville, in North-Central Texas, has a population of 20,000. In 1890, when Red was born, it had less… Read more