Tag Archives: baseball

Celebrity Activism in Sports and Society

Posted on June 19, 2017 by launiusr

It is almost a truism in modern America that celebrities engage in various causes aimed at overcoming various challenges plaguing society. Much of this is accepted and even celebrated. As often as not, it is the result of a unique … Continue reading →

Posted in History, Personal, Politics, Sports | Tagged 1960s, American exceptionalism, baseball, Bono, Brigette Bardot, Charles Dickens, History, Jane Fonda, John Carlos, John Lennon, Mark Twain, Olympics, Tommie Smith, Yoko Ono | 2 Comments

Wednesday’s Book Review: “Leveling the Playing Field”

Posted on June 7, 2017 by launiusr

Leveling the Playing Field: How the Law Can Make Sports Better for Fans. By Paul C. Weiler. Cambridge, MA: Harvard University Press, 2000. Many of the major issues of modern professional sports revolve around issues of the law. Harvard University’s … Continue reading →

Posted in Baseball, History, Politics, Sports | Tagged baseball, basketball, football, George Steinbrenner, Harvard University Press, hockey, Leveling the Playing Field: How the Law Can Make Sports Better for Fans, MLB, NBA, NFL, NHL, Paul C. Weiler | Leave a comment

Wednesday’s Book Review: “Keeping Score: The Economics of Big-Time Sports”

Posted on May 10, 2017 by launiusr

Keeping Score: The Economics of Big-Time Sports. By Richard G. Sheehan. South Bend, IN: Diamond Communications Inc., 1996. Although it is now more than 20 years old and sports have changed significantly since the mid-1990s, there are several important insights in this … Continue reading →

Posted in Baseball, History, Sports | Tagged baseball, History, mlb business, Playoffs, Richard G. Sheehan, sports business, St. Louis Cardinals, World Series | 1 Comment

Wednesday’s Book Review: “Leo Durocher: Baseball’s Prodigal Son”

Posted on April 19, 2017 by launiusr

Leo Durocher: Baseball’s Prodigal Son. By Paul Dickson. New York: Bloomsbury, 2017. No doubt, Leo Durocher was a talented baseball player, coach, and manager. He was also MLB’s bad boy before Billy Martin took that title from him in the … Continue reading →

Posted in Baseball, History, Sports | Tagged baseball, Billy Williams, Bloomsbury, Branch Rickey, Brooklyn Dodgers, Chicago Cubs, Ernie Banks, Ferguson Jenkins, Hall of Fame, History, Houston Astros, Leo Durocher, Leo Durocher: Baseball’s Prodigal Son, MLB, New York Giants, New York Mets, Paul Dickson, Playoffs, Ron Santo, World Series, Wrigley Field | 1 Comment

Wednesday’s Book Review: “A Clever Base-Ballist: The Life and Times of John Ward Montgomery”

Posted on April 12, 2017 by launiusr

A Clever Base-Ballist: The Life and Times of John Ward Montgomery. By Bryan Di Salvatore. New York: Pantheon Books, 1999. Between 1878 and 1894 John Ward Montgomery amazed major league baseball fans on the field and exasperated owners off of … Continue reading →

Posted in Baseball, Sports | Tagged A Clever Base-Ballist: The Life and Times of John Ward Montgomery, baseball, Brotherhood of National League Players, Bryan Di Salvatore, Grange, John Ward Montgomery, labor, labor unions, MLB, mlb business, New York Giants, Pantheon Books, reserve clause, William A. Hulbert | Leave a comment

Washington Nationals Home Opener Game Results

Posted on April 3, 2017 by launiusr

Today is the home opener for the Washington Nationals. After a long winter, and a deeply disturbing political season, I’m ready to get back to something a bit more uplifting. The Nationals are well positioned to win the National League … Continue reading →

Posted in Baseball, History, Sports | Tagged baseball, History, Playoffs, St. Louis Cardinals, Washington Nationals, World War II | Leave a comment

Paper Proposal: “A Tale of Two Owners: The Parallel but Asymmetrical Careers of Gussie Busch and Ewing Kauffman”

Posted on January 23, 2017 by launiusr

I have put in to undertake this paper for the 29th Cooperstown Symposium on Baseball and American Culture, to be held at the MLB Hall of Fame in Cooperstown, New York, on May 31-June 2, 2017. Comments are welcome. A Tale of Two Owners: … Continue reading →

Posted in Baseball, History | Tagged Amos Otis, baseball, Bing Devine, Bret Saberhagen, Charlie Finley, Ewing Kaufman, Frank White, Fred Saigh, George Brett, Gussie Busch, Hal McRae, History, John Mayberry, Kansas City A's, Kansas City Royals, MLB, Playoffs, Red Schoendienst, St. Louis Cardinals, Whitey Herzog, Willie Wilson, World Series | Leave a comment

Wednesday’s Book Review: “Dizzy and the Gashouse Gang”

Posted on January 18, 2017 by launiusr

Dizzy and the Gashouse Gang: The 1934 St. Louis Cardinals and Depression-Era Baseball. By Doug Feldman. Jefferson, NC: McFarland and Co., 2000. The so-called “Gashouse Gang” was one of the most engaging major league baseball teams of the first half … Continue reading →

Posted in Baseball, History | Tagged baseball, Burleigh Grimes, Dizzy and the Gashouse Gang: The 1934 St. Louis Cardinals and Depression-Era Baseball, Dizzy Dean, Doug Feldman, Frankie Frisch, History, Joe Medwick, Leo Durocher, McFarland and Co., Pepper Martin, Rip Collins, St. Louis Cardinals, World Series | Leave a comment

Wednesday’s Book Review: “Playing the Game”

Posted on August 3, 2016 by launiusr

Playing the Game: My Early Years in Baseball. By Babe Ruth. Edited by William R. Cobb. New Introduction by Paul Dickson. Mineola, NY: Dover Publications, Inc., 2011. Without question Babe Ruth was a force of nature. He strode across the … Continue reading →

Posted in Baseball | Tagged Atlanta Constitution, Babe Ruth, Barry Bonds, baseball, Boston Red Sox, Dover Publications, History, MLB, New York Yankees, Paul Dickson, Playing the Game: My Early Years in Baseball, Westbrook Pegler, William R. Cobb | Leave a comment

Baseball Is… A Lot of Fun

Posted on July 15, 2016 by launiusr

What an enjoyable little book! My good friend Paul Dickson, well known for his writing on the history of baseball and other aspects of American history, has assembled a witty and sometimes funny collection of comments from a range of … Continue reading →

Posted in Baseball | Tagged baseball, Bull Durham, Dagwood Bumstead, Dick Gregory, Dover Publications, George Will, History, Michele Walters Costa, MLB, Paul Dickson, Roger Angell, Ty Cobb, Wade Boggs, Yogi Berra | Leave a comment