Category Archives: Sports

RUNNING INTO A TREE.

RUNNING INTO A TREE. If being knocked out indicates a concussion, I probably had one playing touch football in our yard with three or four other kids. I have reminisced that we had two large maple trees in the middle … Continue reading

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KIDS, DON’T TRY THIS AT HOME.

KIDS, DON’T TRY THIS AT HOME. I have posted several times about the National Football League’s efforts to cut down on helmet-to-helmet hits. This New York Times article gives an idea of why the NFL seems to be changing its … Continue reading

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UNUSUAL BALLPARKS—“THE SMEAD JOLLEY STORY.”

UNUSUAL BALLPARKS—“THE SMEAD JOLLEY STORY.” After the posts on unusual ballparks, I realized that I should post on the “Smead Jolley Story”, which wikipedia research (see here) shows is about “Duffy’s Cliff”, which between 1912 and 1933 was a ten-foot … Continue reading

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A LARGE TREE IN THE OUTFIELD.

A LARGE TREE IN THE OUTFIELD. Inspired by the challenges of playing the Northwestern-Illinois football game in Wrigley Field with a brick wall at one end of the field, I posted several times about unusual playing fields. John Huebner e … Continue reading

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ODD PLAYING FIELDS SHAPING ATHLETES.

ODD PLAYING FIELDS SHAPING ATHLETES. A couple examples of professional athletes being permanently affected by the playing conditions of their youth: Greg Gross was said to have hit primarily to the opposite field because as a boy he played on … Continue reading

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PLAYING AROUND OBSTACLES.

PLAYING AROUND OBSTACLES. The fuss about arranging the Northwestern-Illinois football game to avoid the brick wall reminded me of the games I played on unusual fields. Until I was 10, we played in a large yard with two very big … Continue reading

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BRONKO NAGURSKI AND THE WALL.

BRONKO NAGURSKI AND THE WALL. During all the discussion about the Northwestern-Illinois football game at Wrigley Field and the possibility of a player running into a brick wall, Bronko Nagurski’s name came up a lot. Bronko Nagurski was one of … Continue reading

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“SUCKERS WALK.”

“SUCKERS WALK.” Northwestern and Illinois played a football game in Wrigley Field last weekend. Although a lot of football games have been played in Wrigley, the park has been reconfigured, and the only way to fit a football field into … Continue reading

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BEING MISTAKEN FOR LUIS TIANT.

BEING MISTAKEN FOR LUIS TIANT. Aside from Homer Simpson, the only celebrity I was ever mistaken for was Luis Tiant. I used to arouse astonishment when I announced this because Tiant’s face was well known even to casual baseball fans. … Continue reading

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THE SIMPSONS RECOGNIZE BILL JAMES.

THE SIMPSONS RECOGNIZE BILL JAMES. I have posted several times on sabermetrics and have boasted about the fact that Mary Jane and I were among the early subscribers to whom Bill James dedicated his 1983 BASEBALL ABSTRACT. Bill James appeared … Continue reading

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