To Coach Hartwell, Coach Dodge, our baseball community, and the parents and families surrounding the players on our team: As gravity took over and the baseballs' path fell from the sky and rested finally into the opposing left fielder's glove, my hopes for a miracle comeback were replaced with the reality that I knew could come. Almost immediately, I found the softer, sentimental side of me Continue Reading...
To me, it’s still THE Game
The other night Albert Pujols hit career home run number 536 to tie Mickey Mantle for 16th on MLB's All-Time Home Run List. This is quite the accomplishment as Pujols continues his Hall-Of-Fame level career. I am not sure how many baseball fans noticed this feat. I am certain that regardless of how many home runs Albert Pujols hits, he won't be remembered like Mantle still is, and that's not his Continue Reading...
Thankful Because “It” Was
The winter season is still upon us here in New Hampshire. Yesterday's temperatures actually made it into the 50's here, and even though I love winter, it was a really nice day. It was a reminder that spring is nearing, a reminder to me of the renewal of the seasons that I love so much. It also gave my brain a little nudge down the steep mountain of snow that is everywhere around here still, and as Continue Reading...
Baseball Then and Now
For as long as I can remember, I have loved the game of baseball. I still do. I don't just love the game play, but I love the strategy, the gamesmanship, the personal effect, the unwritten rules, and perhaps most of all, the measurement by which all eras can correlate with one another. I watched last night as the San Francisco Giants punched their ticket to the World Series by ousting the St. Continue Reading...
Thank you Baseball
To Coach Hartwell and Coach Dodge: This morning I woke wishing we still had games left to coach, or even tournament games left to organize. Excuses for me to be at Allard Park are easy to come by. Mostly though, I wanted to thank you both for welcoming me into your dugout. You two were selfless in regard to our pecking order and were very open minded regarding discussion, thought process, and Continue Reading...
Local Baseball Trivia ~ What town?
In 2012, during the NCAA Division II Baseball College World Series a player from this town hit the first home run of the tournament. Then, this year, 2014, during the NCAA Division III Baseball College World Series, a player from this same town hit the first home run of the tournament. What is the town? Answer: Goffstown, NH Continue Reading...
The Wide-Eyed Boy and The Game
This is a short story I wrote because even after all of my years in baseball, playing it, watching it, writing about it, coaching it, dreaming about it, and teaching it, I was genuinely inspired. The source of my inspiration doesn't know about this story, and neither does anyone else, so I'm hoping everyone enjoys it. I have a tendency to romanticize things here and there I suppose. And yes, I Continue Reading...
Goffstown in Baseball, and the NCAA Tournament
Yes, I have lived in Goffstown, NH for the better part of 20 years. I am quite proud of the sports teams in our small town (population of roughly 17,700), especially in baseball. New Boston, NH (population of roughly 5,300) is part of the Goffstown School District and is very much a part of our community. This is just an update of some players from the Goffstown School District or Goffstown Continue Reading...
Baseball – I
Close your eyes. I mean, really close them. Let yourself drift off to another place. Clear your mind. As Billy Chapel says in For Love of the Game, " clear the mechanism." You're sitting outside, leaning back in a rigid but somehow, tolerable seat. As you let your eyes close for a moment, your other senses heighten. You feel the warmth of the sun on your skin. Somewhere a switch has been flipped Continue Reading...
Figure it out!
As the baseball season winds down and new names are written into the great history of post-season baseball, I can't help but grow increasingly upset with the NHL. After all the momentum hockey has seen in recent years, with HD TV, original six teams winning Cups, TV contracts, and young stars emerging, they shoot themselves in the foot...again. Three work stoppages under one regime? For all the Continue Reading...