Blog Topics | Baseball History Comes Alive

Happy Father’s Day!

“It was at St. Mary’s that I met and learned to love the greatest man I’ve ever known…He was the father I needed. He taught me to read and write, and the difference between right and wrong.” -Babe Ruth, speaking of his father figure and mentor, Brother Mathias...

Posted on: June 18, 2023
By: Gary Livacari
With: 8 Comments

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...

Posted on: March 5, 2023
By: Gary Livacari
With: 15 Comments

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

Posted on: December 30, 2022
By: Gary Livacari
With: 7 Comments

What Are Your Impressions of Some of the Old Ball Parks?

Many thanks again to Ray Banko who has come up with another great idea. Ray thought it would be interesting to hear stories from our readers about visiting some of the old ballparks...

Posted on: September 24, 2022
By: Gary Livacari
With: 33 Comments

Review of Deadball Trailblazers, by Ron Waldo

If you’re a fan of the Dead Ball Era as I am, you’ll find Ron Waldo’s new book, Deadball Trailblazers to be a real gem...

Posted on: September 22, 2022
By: Gary Livacari
With: 2 Comments

Mickey and Bobby, an Unlikely Pairing

Many thanks to Steve Falco for sending me this historic photo from Mickey Mantle Day...

Posted on: September 21, 2022
By: Gary Livacari
With: 2 Comments

“Deep-Dive” Into the Black Sox Scandal: Ringleader Chick Gandil Tells His Side of the Story!

While we often hear cries calling for the reinstatement of Shoeless Joe Jackson or Buck Weaver, there has never been any love lost for Gandil...

Posted on: September 20, 2022
By: Gary Livacari
With: 6 Comments

Shoeless Joe Jackson, Part Three: “Joe and the Tainted $5,000”

Today I'll continue with my "deep dive" into the 1919 Black Sox scandal with part three of my three-part series on Joe Jackson. Today's topic is the"Tainted $5,000."...

Posted on: September 7, 2022
By: Gary Livacari
With: 2 Comments

Let’s Take A “Deep Dive” Into the Black Sox Scandal: The “Seven Suspicious Plays”

I've decided that for the next few Wednesdays I'll be taking a "deep dive" into the 1919 Black Sox scandal that rocked the baseball world to its very foundation...

Posted on: August 17, 2022
By: Gary Livacari
With: 5 Comments

New Blog Topic: A Real Wacky Game! Blue Jays Beat the Red Sox 28-5!

Did any of you guys notice the crazy game between the Blue jays and the Red Sox last Friday? The Blue Jays defeated the Red Sox 28-5...

Posted on: July 24, 2022
By: Gary Livacari
With: 3 Comments

New Blog Topic: “Fielders’ Choice” – Life Lessons from Baseball

One of our readers, Pete Aman, is in the process of writing a new book, Fielders' Choice - Life Lessons from Baseball...

Posted on: May 27, 2022
By: Gary Livacari
With: 7 Comments

New Blog Topic: There is Only One, The Most Iconic Trading Cards of All Time

Today Steve Falco gives us a look at the great watercolor artwork of James Fiorentino with two beautiful examples of his work...

Posted on: March 18, 2022
By: Gary Livacari
With: 0 Comments

New Blog Topic: “WELLING”-A Backstop Invents a Backstop!

Today we welcome a guest post from Kevin Barwin, sharing with us some interesting information about the origin of something we take for granted but is a pivotal element of the game: the backstop...

Posted on: December 22, 2021
By: Gary Livacari
With: 3 Comments

We Always Welcome Guest Submissions!

Just a quick reminder that guest essay submissions from our readers are always welcome here on the Baseball History Comes Alive website...

Posted on: December 8, 2021
By: Gary Livacari
With: 0 Comments

It Happened! Thank you for your support! Gil’s In!

I'm sure by now you are all aware that, yes, indeed, Gil Hodges will now have a well-deserved spot Cooperstown!...

Posted on: December 5, 2021
By: Gary Livacari
With: 11 Comments

New Blog Topic: MLB should create an “MOP Award”: Most Outstanding Player!

The 2021 baseball season, conducted during a global pandemic, has provided some amazing individual performances...

Posted on: September 24, 2021
By: Gary Livacari
With: 5 Comments

New Blog Topic: More on Ty Cobb

As I've mentioned, I’m rereading Ty Cobb: A Terrible Beauty, by Charles Leerhsen and I’m finding a lot of interesting information about the Georgia Peach...

Posted on: August 12, 2021
By: Gary Livacari
With: 0 Comments

New Blog Topic: Just What Is It About This Game We All Love?

I thought I'd offer you something just a little bit different today. I'll take off my "baseball history cap" for a moment and put on my "reflections cap."...

Posted on: June 11, 2021
By: Gary Livacari
With: 12 Comments

New Blog Topic: YET ANOTHER CHEATING SCANDAL

Here we go again. Baseball has been hit with another scandal, undoubtedly the biggest since the so-called Steroid Era...

Posted on: June 9, 2021
By: Bill Gutman
With: 27 Comments

New Blog Topic: BASEBALL’S INJURY EPIDEMIC

Unlike many of today's players, yesterday's sluggers, including Ted Williams, were not musclebound. But they still did pretty well...

Posted on: June 5, 2021
By: Bill Gutman
With: 14 Comments

New Blog Topic: RANDOM MUSINGS OF A LIFE-LONG GIANTS FAN

Today, lifelong Giants fan Bill Schaefer shares with us some random thoughts and humorous stories he's picked up over the years from observing at close hand the great game we all love...

Posted on: June 2, 2021
By: Gary Livacari
With: 13 Comments

NEW BLOG TOPIC: My Review of “Arky, The Baseball Life of Joseph Floyd ‘Arky’ Vaughan”

I recently finished the outstanding biography of Arky Vaughan written by our reader, Frank Garland. I really enjoyed the book and wrote a review...

Posted on: June 1, 2021
By: Gary Livacari
With: 5 Comments

New Blog Topic: Ty Cobb had it SO much easier than Mike Trout!

Already at least half the people reading this are aggravated with the headline!...

Posted on: May 27, 2021
By: Gary Livacari
With: 11 Comments

New Blog Topic: WHAT HAS HAPPENED TO HITTING?

Editor's Note: If you're concerned about the trend today's game is on, I urge you to read Bill Gutman's blog post today. What Bill has uncovered in his research is unsettling and a cause for concern for all of us who love the game...

Posted on: May 25, 2021
By: Bill Gutman
With: 12 Comments

New Blog Topic: CURT FLOOD AND THE HALL OF FAME

On numbers alone, former Cardinals outfielder Curt Flood does not belong in the Hall of Fame. It's true that Flood was an excellent ballplayer...

Posted on: May 18, 2021
By: Bill Gutman
With: 20 Comments

New Blog Topic: WHO’S THE GREATEST?

As the great Willie Mays celebrated his 90th birthday last Thursday, the tributes and accolades rolled in from everywhere...

Posted on: May 11, 2021
By: Bill Gutman
With: 19 Comments

New Blog Topic: Baseball – Can It Improve From Here?

Ah, America’s Pastime. It would be a mistake for today’s under-35 baseball fans to believe that baseball before 1973 (the first year of the Designated Hitter,) was baseball in the stone age...

Posted on: May 6, 2021
By: Gary Livacari
With: 11 Comments

New Blog Topic: HERE COMES THE HOME RUN DERBY

The one would almost be funny if it wasn't so frightening...

Posted on: May 4, 2021
By: Bill Gutman
With: 5 Comments

New Blog Topic: My All-Time Favorite Dead Ball Era Players!

Since many of you know of my love for the Dead Ball Era, I've decided to start a new series highlighting the careers of some of my favorite players from that long-ago era...

Posted on: May 1, 2021
By: Gary Livacari
With: 21 Comments

New Blog Topic: STRIKEOUTS CONTINUE TO SKYROCKET

It's really an open secret, one that Major League Baseball seems to ignore. But for how long?...

Posted on: April 27, 2021
By: Bill Gutman
With: 13 Comments

New Blog Topic: BRING ON A KNUCKLEBALLER

Please note: As we compose new blog entries, we will now send each one out to all our subscribers as…

Posted on: April 25, 2021
By: Bill Gutman
With: 8 Comments

New Blog Topic: MLB EXPERIMENTING WITH MORE RULE CHANGES

Well, they're at it again. While Major League baseball continues to be fixated on speeding up the game, they're also finally taking heed about the lack of action...

Posted on: April 19, 2021
By: Bill Gutman
With: 14 Comments

New Blog Topic: There’s No Crying—Or Sleeping!—In Baseball! Just Ask HOFer Edd Rousch!

A recent article in Baseball Digest had some interesting information about baseball ejections...

Posted on: April 17, 2021
By: Gary Livacari
With: 4 Comments

New Blog Topic: WILL WE EVER SEE THE RETURN OF THE ROUTE-GOING ACE

Just recently, I wrote about baseball's attempt to limit the length of extra-inning games by implementing the rather un-baseball-like rule of putting a runner on second base to begin the tenth inning..

Posted on: April 11, 2021
By: Bill Gutman
With: 9 Comments

New Blog Topic: White Sox’ Yermin Mercedes Breaks 110-Year-Old Team Record Set by Ping Bodie!

And just wait until you hear about Ping Bodie’s 1919 “Spaghetti Eating Contest” against “Percy the Ostrich” And no, I’m not making this up...

Posted on: April 9, 2021
By: Gary Livacari
With: 4 Comments

New Blog Topic: WHAT DOES MLB HAVE AGAINST EXTRA-INNING GAMES

When we were kids we always got excited when a ballgame went into extra innings. And why not?...

Posted on: April 7, 2021
By: Bill Gutman
With: 16 Comments

New Blog Topic: “Words of Regret” The Story of Giants’ Manager, Bill Terry

Did you ever say something off-handedly and regretted it almost before the words were out of your mouth? I know I have...

Posted on: April 4, 2021
By: Gary Livacari
With: 3 Comments

New Blog Topic: The Philadelphia Athletics “White Elephant”

Have you ever wondered why the Philadelphia Athletics had a “white elephant" as their mascot?...

Posted on: April 1, 2021
By: Gary Livacari
With: 4 Comments

New Blog Topic: THE .400 HITTER – GONE BUT NOT FORGOTTEN

It's one of baseball's magical, yet elusive numbers. So elusive that it hasn't been achieved in 80 years, not since the great Ted Williams finished the 1941 season with a .406 batting average...

Posted on: March 30, 2021
By: Bill Gutman
With: 20 Comments

New Blog Topic: BECOMING A BASEBALL FAN IN THE 1950s

All longtime baseball fans have vivid memories of how it all started, whether it be collecting baseball cards, watching games on television, playing ball with your friends,

Posted on: March 23, 2021
By: Bill Gutman
With: 11 Comments