Merry Baseball Christmas 2015

Merry Christmas to all the great baseball fans out there.

May Santa bring you all your Christmas wishes.

Happy Thanksgiving!

I would like to say Happy Thanksgiving today to all the great baseball fans all around the world.

Thanks so much for taking time to read my blog.

Have a great Turkey Day!

Happy Baseball Birthday...Gettysburg Address

151 years ago today, on November 19, 1863, President Abraham Lincoln gave his famous Gettysburg Address commemorating the final resting place for the fallen soldiers at the Battle of Gettysburg during the United States Civil War.

"Four score and seven years ago."

Baseball was a huge part of the Civil War, as soldiers used the game to interject some fun and recreation during the lulls in between conflicts.

Baseball was recently a new sport in the 1860's, and play during the Civil War helped the expansion of the game throughout the United States and the Confederacy.

Baseball boomed after the war as soldiers from both sides took the game of baseball back home with them and introduced baseball to their hometown's across the country.

President Lincoln spoke for a little more than two minutes, yet the few words he did speak became this countries greatest speech ever given by a sitting Commander In Chief.

Happy Baseball Birthday to the Gettysburg Address!

PLAY BALL!

Happy Baseball Birthday... Ken Burns

A special Happy Baseball Birthday to documentary filmmaker Ken Burns.

Kenneth Lauren Burns was born in Brooklyn, New York on July 29, 1953.

Ken Burns 1994 documentary film Baseball stands... in my opinion...as the ultimate historical baseball film ever made about our National Pastime.

Every time Baseball comes back to PBS, or the MLB Network, I pretty much stop whatever I'm doing and watch.

In 2010 Burns updated Baseball with The Tenth Inning, two, 2 hour shows on PBS that updated the original Baseball film through the years 1994-2009.

I'm also a huge fan of The Civil War,  Burns 1990 film that became the first documentary to make $100 Million dollars.

Burns family moved quite a bit in his younger years growing up, and Ken graduated from Ann Arbor Pioneer High School while his father, Robert Burns, taught at the University of Michigan.

Ken attended Hampshire College in Amherst, Massachusetts.

Burn's newest film for PBS is The Roosevelt's, to air in the fall.

There's also a planned 2015 release of a Burns documentary on Brooklyn Dodgers great Jackie Robinson.

It would be awesome if I could ever get a chance to meet Ken Burns. and would love to get a signed baseball from him one day.

Happy Baseball Birthday Ken.

Play Ball!

Happy Baseball Birthday...City of Detroit

A special Happy Baseball Birthday today to the Motor City.

Today the City of Detroit  celebrates its 313th birthday, founded by the  French on April 24, 1701, as Fort Pontchartrain du D`etroit.

Baseball in Motown dates back well into the 1800s, and the city has been represented by several professional baseball clubs including the 1887 National Campionship Detroit Wolverines, the Nego Leagues Detroit Stars, and the 4 time World Series Champion Detroit Tigers of the American League.

The Wolverines played in Recreation Park, built in the late 1770s.

The Stars played in old Mack Park until a fire destroyed the park in 1929, and then In Hamtramck Park,  built by the Stars owner in 1930.

The cross streets of  Michigan and Trumbull , in the Corktown area of Detroit was the home of proffessional baseball since the building if Bennett Park in the 1880s, and continued with Navin Field, built in 1920, and remaned Briggs Stadium in 1937, and then Tiger Stadium, in 1961.

The Tigers have played in Comerica Park, about a mile from The Corner,  since the 2000 baseball season.

Navin Field has be ressurected by the Navin Field Ground Crew, a group of Tigers fans who volunteer their time and money to  maintain to historic ground that was once home...at THE CORNER of Michigan and Trumbull. 

Happy Baseball Birthday Motown!

PLAY BALL!

Happy Baseball Birthday...75 years of Batman

Today is Batman Day around the D. C. Universe.

Batman first appeared in comics in 1939...the same year Little League Baseball was establushed in Williamsport, Pennsylvania,  and the year the National Baseball Hall of Fane and Museum was opened in Cooperstown,  New York.

I must admit, I'm a Amazing Spiderman guy, but loved watching the 1960s TV show starring Adam West, who's always been my favorite Caped crusader...although I also pick Michael Keaton as the best movie Batman.

Until today I had no idea the great game of baseball was a favorite of Batman.

Living in Gotham City at the time, Bruce Wayne, er, Batman, probably swung by Yankee Stadium to watch a young Joe DiMaggio smashing line drives,  checked out a guy named Willie Mays making basket catches in center field at the Polo Grounds, and dropped by Ebbetts Field to watch 'Dem Bums, the Brooklyn Dodgers.

My guess is that the #1 crime fighter in Gotham was a Dodgers fan...always rootingand cheering for the underdog. 

Thanks to D C Cimucs for the cool #Batman75 logo and awesone comics. 

Thanks to @baseballminutia for tweeting the World's Finest Comics #3 today.

Happy Baseball Birthday Batman!

POW! ZAP! ZOOM!

PLAY BALL!

Fear the Ears

Cool graphic put out by the El Paso Chihuahuas tonight through their Facebook page.

Being a Chihuahua owner myself, I immediately fell in love with the team,  starting with their great logos using  an angry Chihuahua.

Yes, my boy Chihuahua has made those faces before.

@epchihuahuas on Twitter

Happy Baseball Mother's Day

Happy Mother's Day to all the baseball Mom's out there.

My Mom took my brothers and I to every practice, to every game, and gave us a much needed hug after every game, win or lose.

My Mom was our Team Mother in Little League back in Portage, Michigan, in the early 1970s.

Happy Mother's Day to all the great Mom's out there.

Play Ball!

This week's Sports Illustrated cover...Pete Rose

Baseball makes the cover of SI this week, and that's always a good thing.

Peter Edward Rose was a great ballplayer on the field, but his off the field gambling, even on his own beloved home town Cincinnati Reds, has banned him for life from big league baseball, and the Baseball Hall of Fame.

Steroid abuse has caused much more harm to baseball than Pete Rose,  and that's plain sad.

Pete Rose may not get in the HOF, but he sure belongs their over any steroids/HGH user..period.

I will definitely have to pick up a copy of this issue.

Bacon on a ball cap

This baseball season the Phillies AAA affiliate, the Lehigh Valley Iron Pigs, will wear a special home Saturday ballcap with a piece of bacon as the Iron Pigs logo on the front of the cap.

Bacon...baseball...yes please. 

Happy President's Day 2014

Jim Fregosi, 1942-2014

The baseball world lost former player and manager Jim Fregosi today, who died after being taken off life support after the former big leaguer suffered several strokes.

Jim Fregosi was a good ball player, who I always remember because he was traded by the California Angels for future Hall of Fame pitcher Nolan Ryan.

Fregosi would later manage Ryan, in 1978 and 1979... with the Angels.

Jim Fregosi also managed the Chicago White Sox.

My blogger friend Steve wrote a terrific post today on Fregosi over at White Sox Cards. 

http://whitesoxcards.blogspot.com/2014/02/rip-jim-fregosi-1942-2014.html

May God Bless Jim and his family.

Happy Valentine's Day

Happy Valentine's Day baseball fans.

I hope you hit it out of the park with your significant other.

God Bless you all.

PLAY BALL!

#GoBlue Baseball 2014

Baseball season is hete again, #MeeeechiganBaseball style.

#GoBlue

@umichbaseball

Derek Jeter will retire after 2014

Derek Jeter will play baseball for the final time as a big leaguer in 2014.

The future Hall of Fame shortstop announced today that this will be the last year he puts on the #2 Yankee Pinstripe uniform.

Peaches Baseball Guide.

Thanks to the Facebook page "When we wore Fedora's," for this tertific picture.

If you're on Facebook,  please check out their page, you'll find great baseball stuff there, and they love to share cool old baseball art.

PLAY BALL!

Jacksonville Braves...Henry Aaron

Today we have a  Happy Baseball Birthday to the baseball fans true Home Run King, Henry Aaron, who turns 80 today.

This picture is courtesy of the Jacksonville Suns (jaxsuns.com).

Hank Aaron played here in Jacksonville in 1952, for the Jacksonville Braves, who played their baseball games at old Durkee Field, now J.P. Small park, on Jacksonville's Northside.

http://www.jaxhistory.com/journal13.html

Happy Baseball Birthday...Beth Ann Sharp

Today I am celebrating my late sister, Beth Ann Sharp,  for today's Happy Baseball Birthday.

Beth was born on February 3rd, 1973, in Kalamazoo, Michigan.

She was the only girl, the babby girl, of Tommie Laman and Dorothy Ann Sharp.

My babby Sister was 13 years younger than I was when she was born, a gift from God, while my Mon and Dad were  in the 9th inning of thier marriage.

Beth loved her 4 brothers, but our love of her was unconditional and never ending, for her very brief 36 years here on this earth.

She and I loved talking about our Detroit Tigers,  and our Michigan Wolverines.

My Sister graduated from Portage Northern HS in 1992, just 14 years after her oldest brother John....that's me, graduated from the very same school.

We were always connected in that, my brothers all went to school here in JAX,  but we went, and got that piece of paper, that Diploma, from roaming the very same halls at Portage Northern.

My Sister Beth passed away in March, 2009, at age 36, from a fall she took during a asthma attack, in her home, in Holland, MI.

Every February 3rd I think of my beautiful babby Sister, and how as I was calling her to wish her well on her day that she would remind me that in 16 days I would once again be 13 years older...she loved doing that...we would just laugh.

Our February birthdays were also a reminder that baseball was just a few weeks away, and that meant the Tigers were back for another year of baseball.

Happy Birthday babby Sister, I love you, we all love you, we all miss you.

We will meet again someday again, in Heaven.

No more Football?

The pigskin has been put away for the year, no more football for 7 months, or so.

Even though we still have basketball and hockey around, the biggest news of all is that with every end of a football year we know the greatest game of all, baseball,  is almost here.

Pitchers and catchers report on February 13th.

http://mlb.mlb.com/springtraining/

Almost time to root, root, root,  for the home team!

#GoTigers #GoMudhens #GoSuns #GoChihuahuas

Play Ball!

Rudolph the Red Nose Shortstop

The great baseball people  over at baseballreference.com have come up with quite the Christmas gift for all us fans with a special player page for Santa's Christmas Ace, Rudolph, the Red Nose Reindeer.

www.baseball-reference.com/friv/rudolph.

I like Rudolph's baseball card, and the fact that he's a 5' 3", 375 lb. shortstop.

*******UPDATE**********UPDATE************UPDATE************UPDATE*******

The Rudolph Baseball Card below is now available on zazzle.com. 

I placed my order today,  and you can still get the card before Christmas.

I'll post again when my card arrives.

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