ClimbingSky

Why Baseball, Books, and Beer Matter

sports

  • To Hold A Sports Page In Your Hand

    Last week someone left a copy of the StarTribune on the lunch table at work. It was still in the plastic bag that papers are delivered in these days. Over lunch, I took the sports page to my desk and read it. Cover to cover. Spending the most time on the page with the box… Read more

  • On the Nature of Fandom

    Though I have lived in the Twin Cities now for almost 40 years, I did live in a number of places before that: Northern California, Eastern Washington, Western Montana, Western Minnesota, Chicago, Houston, and Saginaw, Michigan. Beginning when I was 21 and first moved to Chicago, I picked up the habit of rooting for local… Read more

  • Greatest Living Player

    With the death of Willie Mays, the discussion of “who is the greatest living player” has begun. While Willie was with us, there was (of course) no debate. Here are the names I have heard mentioned so far: The last name on the list, Pujols, doesn’t really belong on the list. Sure, Pujols was a… Read more

  • On the Yankees and Other Crimes Against Humanity

    We are told by many commentators of the game that as fans we should be angry at the players who “cheated” the game of baseball by using steroids. Their argument is that steroids and human growth hormones hurt the “integrity of the game.” Personally, I think the Yankees (beginning with the purchase of Babe Ruth)… Read more

  • Just a Memory

    This March 28th (Opening Day 2024), I made my first visit to Oakland Coliseum, the soon-to-be-former home now of two of my childhood teams. I say soon-to-be-former, because at the end of this baseball season, the Oakland Athletics– like my beloved Oakland Raiders before them– will cease to be anything but a memory. When Al… Read more

  • Why Not the Giants (or 49ERS)?

    Though my parents were San Francisco Giants fans (as well as 49ers fans), I never really was a fan of either team. For some reason, I rooted for the Oakland Raiders, the Baltimore Orioles, and the New York Mets. Then once the Athletics moved to Oakland in 1968, they naturally became my American League team.… Read more

  • Of Baseball and Books

    Baseball is at its root a game of conversation. The long season, the timeless nature of the games themselves, leads inevitably to conversation. In the dugout, players and coaches tell stories about games and plays they have seen and players they have known. They talk about all the important and unimportant things in their lives… Read more

  • R.I.P. Willie Mays

    Since my parents were Giants fans (San Francisco Giants fans), I can honestly say that Willie Mays has been a presence in my life as long as I can remember. Both Willie and my parents moved to the “Bay Area” in 1958. Willie with the Giants when they moved from New York to the West… Read more

  • Effectively Wild: A Podcast

    My favorite baseball podcast, well to be honest, my favorite podcast period, is one called Effectively Wild. The name is based on an expression for a kind of pitcher that is wild around the strike zone in such a way that opposition batters are so uncomfortable in the batter’s box that they have difficultly hitting.… Read more

  • Book Review: A Day in the Bleachers by Arnold Hano

    NFL Football is a sport that is much better on television than in person. The concentrated bursts of action between long periods of inactivity are enhanced by instant replay, color commentary telling us all more about what we just watched, and beer commercials featuring scantily clad women. Anyone who has ever watched an NFL football… Read more