“Luke Easter is the only player I ever saw who can hit a baseball as far as Babe Ruth.” –Jimmy Reese, former teammate of Babe Ruth…
Bill Schaefer’s Mystery Player No. Three!
Bill Schaefer returns today with another Mystery Player. As with the first two entries to this series, the identity of No. Three won’t be too difficult to discover for our baseball history “savvy” readers here on Baseball History Comes Alive.
Mystery Player Number Two!
Today Bill Schaefer jumps into our new Mystery Player series with an interesting essay about a fine ballplayer who is not widely recognized for his ability…
We made it!! Happy Opening Day!!
We made it!! Happy Opening Day!! The Boston Braves Give New Meaning to “The Wearin’ o’ the Green!” Opening Day, 1946
Michael Keedy’s “Mystery Player!”
Of course, it’s no “mystery” that Michael Keedy’s “Mystery Player” was none other than the great Dodger Hall of Famer, Dazzy Vance!
Joe Pepitone, Rest In Peace
There may have been more troubled souls in baseball’s long history than Joe Pepitone, but you’d be hard-pressed to name one…
The Red Sox’ “Golden Outfield!”
“They were the greatest outfield I ever saw…They were smart and fast. They could move into another country if the ball happened to fall there…” -Sportswriter Grantland Rice
PLAY BALL! Reflections on Opening Days Past!
Well, we’re almost there with bubbling over anticipation, when all big-league teams will be in action on one Opening Day, March 30, for the first time since 1968…
We’re Contacted By Son of Former 1930s Cub Star, Stan Hack!
As I’ve mentioned many times, we always love it when we’re contacted by a relative of a former major leaguer. It makes no difference if the player was a star or a sub…
Johnny Evers and Joe Tinker End 33-Year Feud!
With the opening of Spring training this week, here’s something that will warm your heart—and may even bring a tear to your eye!…
Happy Presidents’ Day! Let’s Recall President Eisenhower’s “Baseball Secret!”
“Not making the baseball team at West Point was one of the greatest disappointments of my life, maybe my greatest.” -Dwight Eisenhower
Remembering Tim McCarver
Yesterday, the baseball world was saddened to learn of the passing of Tim McCarver. We’re grateful to contributor Steve Falco for his remembrance of this fine ballplayer who, after his playing days, was selected for the broadcasting wing of the Hall of Fame…
On Being Obsessed with the Brooklyn Dodgers!
I’ve got a real treat for everyone today. Michael Tymn returns and shares with us reminisces from his early years as a Dodger fan in the late 1940s, seventy-five years ago….
1942 Baseball Game Halted by… a Prison Break??
There was a game played in 1942 at the Folsom Correctional Facility in California that was halted because of a prison break! That has to be a first!…
“Where Have You Gone VINCE DiMaggio?” Remembering the Old Oakland Oaks
Where have you gone VINCE DiMaggio? Today we welcome Michale Tymn with an interesting first-hand account from his youth as an Oakland Oaks fan in the 1940s.
THE SHOT HEARD ‘ROUND THE WORLD (THAT ALMOST WASN’T)
Today we welcome back Bill Schaefer with an interesting account of the 1951 game between the Dodgers and Phillies that necessitated the three-game playoff series between the Dodgers and Giants…
Today Is the Sixty-Eighth Anniversay of Joe DiMaggio’s Election to the Hall of Fame!
“When I sat at a table with Joe and other people…all the men were always looking at Joe instead of me!!” – Marilyn Monroe, speaking of her husband Joe DiMaggio….
How Times have Changed! Stan Musial Insists the Cardinals Cut His Salary From $100,000 to $80,000!
Here’s one I could categorize a couple different ways. It could go into “It’ll Never Happen Again,” category or even the “My, How the Game Has Changed!”…
I Never Get Tired of Talking About Willie!
For those of us weaned on baseball in the 50s and 60s, we never tire of talking about Willie Mays…
FLASHBACKS AND…WHO’S ON FIRST (on your all-time team)?
Today we welcome back Bill Schaefer with an interesting essay about all-time greatest teams. They’re selected by guys who knew a thing or two about this game: six Hall of Famers…
Frank Chance Takes the Yankees’ Managerial Helm, January 8, 1913
“There is one thing I will never believe, and that is that the Sox are better than the Cubs” -Frank Chance, after the Cubs lost to the “HItless Wonder” White Sox in the 1906 World Series…
Let’s remember the Great Josh Gibson
“I played with Willie Mays and against Hank Aaron. They were tremendous players, but they were no Josh Gibson.” – Monte Irvin, speaking of Josh Gibson…
Steve “Mongo” McMichael Evicted From Wrigley Field After Singing “Take Me Out to the Ball Game”!
“All right! Lemme hear ya! Ah-One! Ah-Two! Ah-Three…!”- Harry Caray’s famous start-up to his rendition of Take Me Out to the Ball Game
Another Edition Of: Do You Have a Funny Caption For This Photo?
Now that we are in the “lull” between Christmas and New Years Eve, I thought it was a good time to have some fun with another edition of “Do you have a funny caption for this photo?”…
Merry Christmas From Baseball History Comes Alive!
On behalf of all of us here at Baseball History Comes Alive, I’d like to extend to all our readers a very Merry Christmas and Happy Holidays! And to all our Jewish friends, a blessed Hanukkah season….
Michael Keedy’s Top Ten Greatest World Series Catches, Number One: Sandy Amoros and the 1955 World Series!
We’ve finally reached the culmination of Michael Keedy’s Top Ten Greatest World Series Catches…
Michael Keedy’s Top Ten Greatest World Series Catches, Numbers Two and Three: The Miracle Mets and the 1969 World Series
Michael Keedy’s Top Ten Greatest World Series Catches, Numbers Two and Three: Today, Michael Keedy continues with his countdown of the Top Ten Greatest World Series Catches with catches number two and three…
Curt Simmons, RIP; Let’s Recall the 1950 World Series (Link Corrected)
The baseball world was saddened to learn of the recent passing of Curt Simmons (May 19, 1927- December 13, 2022) at age 93. Simmons was the last surviving member of the 1950 “Whiz Kids”…
Another Edition of: Do You Have a Caption For This Photo? Let’s Have Some Fun!
The reason I love this photo is because it reminds me that after watching baseball for over 65 years, I still can’t understand the signals the catcher puts down for the pitcher!…
The Sad Demise of Hack Wilson
“Hung over, yes, many times…drunk, no.” -Hack Wilson’s response when asked if he ever played drunk…
The “Amazin Mets!” 1962-69
“The Mets have shown me more ways to lose than I even knew existed.” -Manager Casey Stengel
The Heart-Warming Story of Babe Ruth and Little Johnny Sylvester
“I’ll knock a homer for Wednesday’s game. Babe Ruth” –Inscription on baseball scrawled by Babe Ruth during the 1926 World Series and given to little Johnny Sylvester, recovering from a near-fatal illness….
Michael Keedy’s Top Ten Greatest World Series Catches, Number Four: Willie Mays, “The Catch,” and the 1954 World Series
“Part of the charm of the Polo Grounds…is that a man pitching a game can, without turning his head, listen to fans in the right-field stands ask each other for matches.”…
GIANTS, DODGERS AND A BRAWL FOR THE AGES
“Baseball fights can be more dangerous than hockey fights, where two players square off, because you’ve got guys running all over the place and people throwing punches at you that you don’t see half the time”…
Frank Robinson Wins the 1961 MVP Award!
This past week marked the sixty-first anniversary of Frank Robinson’s first MVP award…
Michael Keedy’s Top Ten Greatest World Series Catches, No. Five: Dwight Evans and the 1975 World Series!
The very mention of “Game Six” is almost certain to evoke sharp visions of Carlton Fisk’s walk-off homer in the 1975 World Series…
Happy Thanksgiving From Baseball History Comes Alive!
As some of you may remember, I always try to find some connection between our national holidays and baseball history…
Here’s one Red Sox fans will remember: Jackie Jensen Wins 1958 MVP Award!
Sixty-four years ago today, on November 19, 1958, Jackie Jensen was selected as the American League Most Valuable Player. With his selection, Jensen broke the four-year dominance of Yankee MVPs (Yogi Berra, 1954-’55, Mickey Mantle, 1956-’57)…
Do You Have A Funny Caption For This Photo?
I thought it might be fun to start a new ongoing series that I’m calling: “Do You Have A Caption For This Photo?” I’ll be asking you guys for help. If you stumble on to a baseball photo that we could have some fun with coming up with a humorous caption, please send the photo to me at: Livac2@aol.com…
Let’s Recall the 1940 “Cry-Babies Incident” and the Principal Player Involved, Hal Trosky!
Today marks the 82nd anniversary of the “Cry-Babies Incident,” when Indians owner Alva Bradley finally fired unpopular manager, Ossie Vitt, who had referred to his players as “cry-Babies”…