Category Archives: Sports

TATTOO NIGHT—A “BRYCE HARPER BOBBLEHEADESQUE” SUCCESS.

TATTOO NIGHT—A “BRYCE HARPER BOBBLEHEADESQUE” SUCCESS. I posted here earlier in the year on some of the promotions that the Syracuse Chiefs had scheduled for the year. July 1 was “Tattoo Night”, with an offer of general admission for life … Continue reading

Posted in art, Baseball, Sports | 1 Comment

TERMS OF ENDEARMENT IN YORKSHIRE.

TERMS OF ENDEARMENT IN YORKSHIRE. Jenny Gross has an article in the Wall Street Journal (June 12) about how people in Yorkshire will customarily use terms of endearment in talking to acquaintances and strangers. The language usage has drawn attention … Continue reading

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FATHERS AND CHILDREN TALKING BASEBALL.

FATHERS AND CHILDREN TALKING BASEBALL. For my recent birthday, Nick interviewed me about baseball and posted the discussion here on the Catbird Seat blog. It is sometimes said that baseball is fathers playing catch with their children. It is also … Continue reading

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THE ORIGIN OF “THE CATBIRD SEAT” (COMMENT).

THE ORIGIN OF “THE CATBIRD SEAT” (COMMENT). I posted here about how Nick is posting on a new blog affiliated with ESPN—The Catbird Seat. He and I associate the phrase with Hawk Harrelson, the White Sox announcer, with a usual … Continue reading

Posted in Baseball, Literature, Sports | 1 Comment

MONEYBALL COMES TO THE WORLD CUP.

MONEYBALL COMES TO THE WORLD CUP. I only watch soccer during the World Cup. I remember from eight or maybe twelve years ago, the attacks based on crosses, in which a player to the side of the goal lofts a … Continue reading

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TECHNOLOGY COMES TO GRASS TENNIS COURTS.

TECHNOLOGY COMES TO GRASS TENNIS COURTS. I have long known that tennis courts differ. For example, grass courts are “faster” than clay courts and favor a quicker player. I did not know that there are measuring devices that are used … Continue reading

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THE PLATE UMPIRE SHOULD NEVER MAKE A CALL ON CHECKED SWINGS.

THE PLATE UMPIRE SHOULD NEVER MAKE A CALL ON CHECKED SWINGS. The checked swing is still one of the murky areas of baseball. It deals with the situation where a batter stops his swing. The rule is that if there … Continue reading

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MIKE SCHMIDT—UMPIRES SHOULD NOT CALL BALLS AND STRIKES.

UMPIRES SHOULD NOT CALL BALLS AND STRIKES. I have heard announcers discussing Hall of Famer Mike Schmidt’s comment that umpires should not call balls and strikes. Here is the report by Craig Calcaterra from the Hardball Talk website. Schmidt predicts … Continue reading

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SUGGESTIONS FOR BASEBALL BROADCASTS.

SUGGESTIONS FOR BASEBALL BROADCASTS. First, an improvement I would like to see on televised broadcasts of baseball games is an establishing shot when each batter comes to the plate to show how the defense is set up. The new shifts … Continue reading

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WHY DID IT TAKE SO LONG FOR BASEBALL TO START USING ALL THOSE SHIFTS?

WHY DID IT TAKE SO LONG FOR BASEBALL TO START USING ALL THOSE SHIFTS? I posted here on the dramatic increase in the use of shifts in the positioning of fielders, depending on who is at bat. There were 8134 … Continue reading

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