Author Archives: rightoffthebatbook

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About rightoffthebatbook

Co-author of the book, "Right Off the Bat: Baseball, Cricket, Literature, and Life"

Great Stadiums (6): Ewing M. Kauffman Stadium at 40

It is now the sixth-oldest ballpark in Major League Baseball and will forever be one of the most graceful. I (Evander) have long had a rational fondness for Kauffman Stadium in Kansas City, Missouri. In recent times upgraded with all … Continue reading

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Great Stadiums (5): Houston, We Have a Problem

The NRG Astrodome, once The Eighth Wonder Of The World in Houston, may (or may not) succumb to the wreckers’ ball, as Ebbets Field did, as the Polo Grounds did, as countless great ballparks have, unless a lot of people … Continue reading

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1918 and All That

And in the end the only team left standing is the Boston Red Sox. I (Evander) doubt any major-league franchise and fan base have suffered as much. The club put The Curse Of The Bambino to rest in 2004 by … Continue reading

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A Close Shave

Life has its oddities and ironies. I (Evander) didn’t know that Gillette Razor headquarters is only two miles from storied Fenway Park. Of greater importance: the World Series is now tied a game apiece between the Boston Red Sox and … Continue reading

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Shortstops Reaching Jack Benny’s Age

In North America, professional baseball is readying itself for the oddly named World Series, a best-of-seven-game set between the Red Sox and the St. Louis Cardinals, which will open in Boston in a couple of days. Once again, the Red … Continue reading

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The Next Commissioner of Baseball

Bud Selig, a most mediocre commissioner—doubling for a spell as an owner—of Major League Baseball (MLB), will step down in early 2015. By meting out a devastating if circumscribed series of suspensions for PED use, especially to Alex Rodriguez (August … Continue reading

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Ain’t No Mariano in Cricket

The retirement of Yankees closer Mariano Rivera brings to an end an era in that storied franchise, as it does for yours truly (Martin). Mariano had only been playing for a year in the Major Leagues when I went to … Continue reading

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Always Wanted to Do This

I (Evander) always fantasized broadcasting a major-league baseball game—or at least one inning. But either at the stadium or in front of the boob tube with the sound turned off, I have found the task requires enormous skill. Time was … Continue reading

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Great Stadiums (4): Dodger Stadium, the Taj O’Malley

I (Evander) thought it only fitting, as the Los Angeles Dodgers run away with the 2013 N.L. West crown, to talk a little in this series about the Major League Baseball stadium that set the standard. The third-oldest big-league field … Continue reading

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The Great Ty Cobb

I (Evander) found the following rare and graceful footage of Ty Cobb, including scenes with golfer Bobby Jones and Babe Ruth. Cobb seems like such a nice man!

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