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Tag Archives: Literature
How I Learned to Stop Worrying and Love the IPL—Part One
It’s been less than a decade since Twenty20 (T20), the shortest form of the game of cricket, was created, and it’s spread like wildfire. At about three-and-a-half hours, T20 is the perfect length for those who can’t afford to take … Continue reading
A Half-century Later: Mickey Mantle Blast
May 22, 1963, Yankee Stadium (the original of course), a night game, batting left-handed, switch-hitter Mickey Mantle almost bombs a home run clear out of the park. In subsequent interviews, Mantle considered this the hardest he ever hit a baseball. (He … Continue reading
Mariano
In 1996, the New York Yankees were the first team, and possibly the only team in major-league history, to have two roster players named Mariano: Duncan and Rivera. The latter, the famous one, injured himself during outfield practice at one … Continue reading
He Jests at Scars that Never Felt a Wound
New York Mets prospect Philip Gregory Humber (not Humbert Humbert or “from Humber,” either), who had a cup of coffee with his drafting-team in 2006 and 2007 before going to the Minnesota Twins in the Johan Santana deal, has pitched … Continue reading
Posted in Baseball, Cricket, Right Off the Bat Book, Right Off the Bat Website, Yankees
Tagged Babe Ruth, Boston Red Sox, David Cone, David Wells, Don Larsen, Ernie Shore, Federal League, Fenway Park, Harvey Haddix, Jim Bunning, Johan Santana, Literature, Major League Baseball, Mike Mussina, Minnesota Twins, New York Mets, New York Yankees, Philadelphia Phillies, Philip Gregory Humber, Pittsburgh Pirates, World Series, Wrigley Field
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A Country for Old Men
Among its benefits to the world of cricket (bringing in the dough, providing a three-hour runfest for millions), the Indian Premier League is turning into a great venue for the superannuated cricketers of yore looking to earn the big bucks … Continue reading
Ozzie, No Harriet, Lost in Translation
The usually fun Miami Marlins manager Ozzie Guillen has been suspended by the Marlins for comments on Fidel Castro that he (OG) says had most to do with the challenges of going from English to Spanish in several interviews. Speaking … Continue reading
Posted in Baseball
Tagged Literature, Major League Baseball, Miami Marlins, Ozzie Guillen
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Baseball and Jazz
According to the Boston Globe, pitcher Ben Henderson may be the first individual to have used the word jazz. An April 2, 1912, headline says so. Different dictionaries, such as Webster’s Third and The Compact Oxford English Dictionary, furnish alternate … Continue reading
Posted in Baseball, Right Off the Bat Book
Tagged Buck O'Neil, C. I. Taylor, Ebbets Field, Jackie Robinson, James "Cool Papa" Bell, Josh Gibson, Literature, Los Angeles Dodgers, Major League Baseball, Newt Allen, Oscar Charleston, Ray Dandridge, Satchel Paige, Turkey Stearnes, Willie Foster, Willie Wells, Yankee Stadium
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The Great Khan
We at Right Off the Bat have already turned our magisterial attentions to cricketers-turned-politicians here, but it’s worth dwelling on the phenomenon that is Imran Khan. Simply put, Khan was probably the greatest all-rounder of his generation. (His heyday was … Continue reading
Ode to John Keats, Cricketer
Today is 193 years since John Keats was struck and injured by a cricket ball. Although I (Evander) am no writer of odes—and being twenty-four hours past Saint Patrick’s Day—permit me to celebrate (poorly) the event via “County Limerick”: There … Continue reading
Farewell to The Wall
Rahul Dravid, for sixteen years the seemingly impregnable foundation of an extraordinarily talented Indian batting line up, has announced his retirement from international cricket at the age of 39. He hadn’t had a particularly successful recent tour of Australia. But … Continue reading
Posted in Cricket, India
Tagged Literature, Rahul Dravid, Sachin Tendulkar, V. V. S. Laxman, Virender Sehwag
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