OF TIGER WOODS, ROBERTO OSUNA, AND THE INESCAPABLE ZEITGEIST OF 2018
After a nearly three-month hiatus from my daily reports on the ups and downs of the Toronto Blue Jays, this day looked like a good one to resume my post. The game itself Monday night was likely to be auspicious, marking the first time that the brothers, crown princes of Cuban baseball, Lourdes Gurriel Junior…
THE FAIRY-TAIL RETURN OF VLADY GUERRERO TO MONTREAL
The thing about baseball is that there are times when you don't know whether to laugh or cry, but you know you'll never forget the moment. So, I was just gearing up to write a nice paean to the mystique of Opening Day, when I decided to practice my game logging on Toronto's last pre-season…
LONGBALL THOUGHTS ON A BRILLIANT MARCH DAY
So, having spent the last half hour unsuccessfully trying to get MLB.Com's “free” spring training audio to work, I've given up on listening to the game, and resigned myself to following it ever so slo-o-o-wly on the Gameday feature, as Ryan Borucki quickly goes down 3-zip on three unearned runs to the Red Sox in…
LIFE BEGINS AGAIN ON OPENING DAY!
Today is Opening Day. The world is green and warm and bustling with new life. Even in those places where it's not. That is the essence of Opening Day, which forever for baseball fans has marked the true beginning of the year. New Year's Day? Piffle. First day of spring? Piffle. Easter Sunday? With no…
R.A. DICKEY, TORONTO BLUE JAYS, 2013-2016
LOYAL TEAM-MATE AND CLUBHOUSE YODA
GO PLACIDLY, GOOD AND GENTLE MAN
I never thought his was the face of a baseball player. It was too wise, too resigned, altogether too philosophical. Every time the camera found him in the dugout, he seemed to be processing something, trying to put things together that may or may not have made sense. His default mode was reflective, not what…
BASEBALL 101: COACH DAVE EXPLAINS THE SQUEEZE PLAY
It occurred to me as I was describing the safety squeeze pulled off by the Blue Jays in the ninth inning of Sunday's game against the Yankees, in the last series with the Yankees in 2016, a play that brought in the tying run in a scintillating come-from-behind 4-3 Toronto win, that a little primer…
WHY DON’T THEY CARE ABOUT STROMAN’S ARM, TOO?
What is so special about Aaron Sanchez' arm? Conversely, what is wrong with it that we're not being told? I'm not at all troubled by Blue Jays' management showing concern for the well-being of a young pitcher, even if they're solely motivated by the need to protect their investment. But when that concern becomes almost…
JULY TWENTIETH: WAKE UP AND SMELL THE ROSES, RICHARD!
A column that appeared in the Toronto Star this morning by baseball beat writer Richard Griffin, a wise old hand most of the time, really gave me pause. It was entitled “Bautista's return can't come soon enough”, and it took the approach that there were a number of “distractions” that had cropped up for the…
A Short Reflection on the Interface of Baseball, Writing, and Film
In the Manifesto for this new venture, LongBallStories.com, I have suggested that at present there is a dearth of good reportage about baseball, in particular about the game on the field. This is a sad state of affairs for what has been a long and rewarding relationship between baseball and literary expression. While that relationship…