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Category Archives: Baseball
Franchising: the Glamour
Time was when baseball owners had color and character: Ted Turner of the Atlanta Braves and his then-wife Jane Fonda, and of course George Steinbrenner had plenty of both. But that was then and this is now, and aside from … Continue reading
Posted in Baseball, Cricket, IPL, T20 Cricket
Tagged Atlanta Braves, George Steinbrenner, Jane Fonda, Juhi Chawla, Nolan Ryan, Preity Zinta, Shahrukh Khan, Shilpa Shetty, Ted Turner, Texas Rangers
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Great Stadiums
We at Right Off the Bat have a fondness for stadiums: those temples to the arts of cricket and baseball. For all their inherent grandeur, however, they often find themselves placed in some less-than-beautiful surroundings—yes, we’re talking about you, Yankee … Continue reading
The Mumbai Indians: The Yankees of the IPL
Chock full of very well-paid if superannuated superstars—Ricky Ponting, Sachin Tendulkar, Harbhajan Singh, Lasith Malinga—the Mumbai Indians are the New York Yankees of the IPL. Deep pockets and the biggest media market in India can’t buy you success, and the … Continue reading
Posted in Baseball, Cricket, IPL, T20 Cricket, Yankees
Tagged Adam Gilchrist, Brad Hodge, Harbhajan Singh, Lasith Malinga, Mumbai Indians, Ricky Ponting, Sachin Tendulkar
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DH; or, Designated Hebrew
It’s been forty years (and two weeks) in the wilderness. Ron Blomberg became the first DH on April 6, 1973. From Atlanta and still living there, Blomberg—whom I (Evander) had the pleasure to meet a year ago—went thro his own … Continue reading
Posted in Baseball, Right Off the Bat Book, Right Off the Bat Website, Yankees
Tagged American League, Boston Red Sox, Charley Finley, designated hitter, Hank Greenberg, Jackie Robinson, Kansas City Athletics, Los Angeles Dodgers, Mickey Mantle, Minnesota Twins, Moe Berg, Moses Solomon, National Baseball Hall of Fame, National League, New York Giants, Norm Sherry, Oakland Athletics, Orlando Cepeda, Pittsburgh Pirates, Ron Blomberg, Sandy Koufax, Ty Cobb, Walter Alston, World Series, Yankee Stadium
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Home-run “Darby”
Although we at the Right Off the Bat Project are hardly enamored of the mere distance baseballs are hit, like anyone else we do sometimes feel that size—as measured by trajectory—matters. April 17 was the sixtieth anniversary ushering in an … Continue reading
Posted in Baseball, Right Off the Bat Website, Yankees
Tagged American League, Babe Ruth, Bill Dickey, Darryl Strawberry, Dave Kingman, Dick Allen, Frank Howard, Frank Robinson, George Foster, Griffith Stadium, Jimmie Foxx, Josh Hamilton, Literature, Mariano Rivera, Mark McGwire, Mickey Mantle, Reggie Jackson, Ted Williams, Yankee Stadium
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The Curious Simplicity of Cricket and Baseball
As I (Martin) watched Tim Lincecum of the San Francisco Giants plying his trade against the Los Angeles Dodgers the other night, one thought kept running through my mind: baseball is such a simple game. A ball, a bat, and some … Continue reading
Posted in Baseball, Cricket, IPL
Tagged Dale Steyn, Literature, Los Angeles Dodgers, Pune Warriors, San Francisco Giants, Sunrisers Hyderabad, T. S. Eliot, Tim Lincecum
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Be Sure to Check out “42”
As promised last fall, the new Jackie Robinson biopic, 42, is soon opening. Here is pretty much a rave from hardened society-and-film columnist Liz Smith. She is already talking Academy Award nominations, barely a month after the recent lackluster Oscars … Continue reading
Predicting the 2013 Baseball Season
The 2013 baseball season, which opens on April Fools’ Day, promises to make a fool of all prognosticators. Nothing new in this. How could one imagine the Fall Classic when spring has barely sprung? To make things even a little … Continue reading
Posted in Baseball, Right Off the Bat Book, Right Off the Bat Website, Yankees
Tagged Albert Pujols, Alex Rodriguez, American League, Andre Ethier, Andrew McCutchen, Aramis Ramirez, Arizona Diamondbacks, Aroldis Chapman, Atlanta Braves, Baltimore Orioles, Bill James, Boston Red Sox, Brian Wilson, Bryce Harper, Buck Showalter, Buster Posey, Carl Pavano, Carlos Gomez, Chicago Cubs, Cincinnati Reds, Clayton Kershaw, Colorado Rockies, Curtis Granderson, Davey Johnson, David Wright, Derek Jeter, Detroit Tigers, Don Mattingly, Felix Hernandez, Fred Lynn, George Steinbrenner, Houston Astros, Ian Desmond, Jackie Bradley Jr., Jesus Montero, Jim Johnson, Jim Leyland, Joe Mauer, Johan Santana, Josh Hamilton, Justin Morneau, Justin Verlander, Los Angeles Angels of Anaheim, Los Angeles Dodgers, Major League Baseball, Manny Machado, Marco Scutaro, Mariano Rivera, Mark Teixeira, Marlins Park, Matt Kemp, Miami Marlins, Michael Pineda, Mickey Mantle, Miguel Cabrera, Mike Trout, Minnesota Twins, National League, New York Mets, New York Yankees, Nick Markakis, Norichika Aoki, Oakland Athletics, Pablo Sandoval, Phil Hughes, Philadelphia Phillies, Pittsburgh Pirates, Prince Fielder, R. A. Dickey, Robinson Cano, Rogers Centre, Ron Gardenhire, Ryan Braun, San Diego Padres, San Francisco Giants, St. Louis Cardinals, Stephen Strasburg, Theo Epstein, Tim Lincecum, Toronto Blue Jays, Triple Crown, Washington Nationals, World Series, Wrigley Field
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Evander and Lomke
We gave a presentation to about 30 folks on Right Off the Bat at Sts. John and Paul’s Church in Larchmont, NY, on March 20th. We had a blast and the audience was very appreciative. Here’s a photo of us … Continue reading
Posted in Baseball, Cricket, Right Off the Bat Book
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Do Your Homework
The longest and most deeply held rivalry in the history of cricket is that between England and Australia—a contest known as “The Ashes.” Since 1877, these teams have been duking it out: barring two world wars, when the countries were … Continue reading
Posted in Australia, Baseball, Cricket, England, India, New Zealand
Tagged Alastair Cook, Michael Clarke, Michael Hussey, Ricky Ponting, Shane Watson, The Ashes, World Cup
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