Something thwapped my noggin’ at a young age and told me that rooting for the New York Yankees was not the type of mistake a young feller should make. I didn’t know the half of it. In those summers, a hopscotch court was chalked on a sidewalk somewhere in the neighborhood, no one wore a helmet to ride a bike, …
As the 1950s neared, a Southern-born baseball scout reported from Birmingham that Willie Mays was not “a Red Sox type” of player. To the Irish management in Boston, it meant Mays was not white. If any team had the best chance of signing black players in Birmingham after World War II, it was the Red Sox. The white Birmingham Barons …
Joe Mauer didn’t reject his induction to the Minnesota Twins Hall of Fame this summer, and if he gets enshrined in the National Baseball Hall of Fame next year, he won’t turn that down, either. I’m not saying he should. It’s just that no one turns down an award. Who are you to deny your admirers if you’re to be …
The Baseball Writers Association of America will announce the results of its 2023 Hall of Fame vote Tuesday, followed once again by griping about the 1992 election. That was the first year Pete Rose was eligible but left off the ballot, which turned Pete into a cause célèbre. He was one lucky feller that day. Not being in the Hall …
There will be some chit-chat about Roger Maris this month at North Dakota coffee shops and saloons because Aaron Judge of the New York Yankees is chasing the slugger’s single-season home run record. North Dakotans still claim that Maris’ 61 homers in 1961 remain the legitimate, nonsteroid record. North Dakotans still claim Roger Maris as their own, even though he …
When our twins, Ashley and Patrick, were born over 30 years ago, my wife and I often got curious looks as our double stroller rolled through the neighborhood. “Are they identical?” some would ask. That is, until they noticed the pink and blue pajamas and were told their names. This year’s version of the Minnesota Twins would appear to be …
The best vendors at the ballpark snapped out quips and nonsense, thick as mustard on a hot dog. They poured a beer, handed over a soft pretzel and spun out a story about a mother-in-law they didn’t have or a fish they never caught. Those nearby leaned in to listen. Vendors made fans part of the game, like foul balls …
Accolades will shower Jackie Robinson once again this April 15, the 75th anniversary of him scaling baseball’s racial wall. Every big leaguer since 2007 has worn Robinson’s No. 42 on April 15. It’s the only number retired by all 30 major league teams — the first retired by an entire sport. It held no significance for him. Robinson played when …
You know the world holds boundless possibilities when you live near the only golf course in the nation with the front nine in one state and the back nine in another. So when I was 6, I announced that everyone should reach age 12, then start over. There were a helluva lot of big thinkers through history. None of them …
It was a record 90 degrees at Metropolitan Stadium when the Minnesota Twins opened their home baseball season April 22, 1980. The math should have been simple: 36,000 fans + 90 degrees = extra beer vendors. Also in the equation: Every college kid in the Twin Cities would skip class. The drinking age was 19. The Met was a frowzy …
I just learned of the death of Tommy Lasorda, the Hall of Fame manager of the Los Angeles Dodgers. Tommy was 93 and had been in poor health for several years. The news has much deeper meaning for me today than it would have a few years ago, before I met my friend, Fred Claire, the former Dodgers general manager …
“There’s a bright golden haze on the meadow!” — “Oklahoma,” Rodgers and Hammerstein Jim burst into song this morning — pro tip: Ask him to sing “Moon River” — when we agreed that not only are there hints of autumn at Red Oak House but also haze in the air caused by the combination of smoke from Western fires and dust …
In 1988, as general manager of the Los Angeles Dodgers, Fred Claire was the architect of the team’s last World Series championship. Nearly three decades later, in the winter of 2017, cancer that had begun as speck on Fred’s lip had returned with a vengeance. The prognosis had been poor from the time his melanoma had spread to his jaw …
This is the forward to my book, “Extra Innings, written by Bill Plaschke, former Los Angeles Dodgers beat writer for the Los Angeles Times. Fred Claire is a fighter. You might not know that to look at him — he’s so distinguished and dignified and darned polite — but believe me, when he spots an unfairness or injustice, the man will …
I met Fred Claire about this time last year on my first visit to City of Hope National Medical Center near Los Angeles. Fred, his wife, Sheryl, and I talked for two hours that first day, sitting in the shade outside a research building on the sprawling campus. Fred never let on then that he was in terrible pain from …
John Ford’s “The Man Who Shot Liberty Valence” might be the most aching, life-ain’t-fair western film. Told in long flashback, it ends with a newsman trashing the notes from an interview that revealed who really pinged an ornery outlaw. “You’re not going to use the story?” asks Jimmy Stewart’s tired, flawed hero. The newsman explains, “This is the West. When …
Leo Pina to hit a walk-off grand slam in the bottom of the ninth inning to lift the F-M RedHawks to a 6-2 American Association baseball win over the Texas Airhogs on Sunday at Newman Outdoor Field in Fargo. With the win, the RedHawks improved to 6-4 while the Airhogs fell to 2-8. (Check out more photos from Russ Hons here.)
I think I’m experiencing a different kind of March madness this year. Instead of going crazy about hoops, I feel like I’ve been jumping through too many of them. At the start of the month, I was constantly getting plowed and it had nothing to do with alcohol. Everything in sight was white. Shoveling mountains of snow was a daily …
After we arrived at the expansive field on the outskirts of Cooperstown, N.Y., that smoldering Sunday in July 2001 for Kirby Puckett’s Hall of Fame induction, Tim, Shari and I needed to visit the port-a-potties, all blue, lined in a row by the road. We joined one of the dozens of human anaconda lines packed with tomorrow’s sunburn victims. A …
The All-Star Break has come and gone and baseball junkies can go back to their daily fixes this weekend as a full schedule of games resumes Friday. But the annual downtime in mid-July has again ramped up discussion about the general state of the game. Just by chance, I attended the Minnesota Twins’ final game before the break. It seemed …
The Grand Forks Royals Post 6 jumped out to an early lead and overcame a fierce comeback by East Grand Forks Post 157 to claim a 14-10 American Legion baseball win Tuesday night at Kraft Memorial Field in Grand Forks. The Royals jumped to a 8-2 lead before falling behind 10-9. Brock Reller and Coby Tweten each went 4-for-5 at …
The Fargo-Moorhead RedHawks, behind a 4-for-5 performance at the plate by Devan Ahart, defeated the Lincoln Saltdogs 11-6 in American Association baseball play Saturday at Newman Field. Ahart had a home run, scored four runs and added three RBI, while teammate Keury De La Cruz had a homer and four RBI. The winning pitcher was Will Solomon, who threw 5 1/3 …
As I drove across town Thursday on one of the first lovely afternoons in an otherwise lousy spring, I attempted to put a positive spin on life in Minnesota. Sure, we’ve had April temperatures 30 degrees below normal. And yes, I could still see, out of the corner of my eye, those dirty, lingering snow piles along the side of …
The Fargo-Moorhead RedHawks rode the pitching of Tyler Alexander to a 5-0 win over the Kansas City T-Bones on Tuesday night at Newman Field in Fargo, and photographer Russ Hons was there. Alexander allowed just three baserunners (one hit and two walks) while striking out 13 batters in the American Association game. Third-baseman Josh Mazzola drove in three runs with a …
The dog days of August have arrived and our favorite baseball team is apparently “rebuilding” again. For the better part of four months, the Minnesota Twins teased local fans with a brand of ball just good enough to make us believe there was hope. In fact, as recently as July 20, the Twins were within a half-game of first place …
The 2017 season of the Grand Forks Blues ended Friday with a heartbreaking 3-2 loss to Casselton in the North Dakota Class A American Legion Tournament at Kraft Memorial Field in Grand Forks. The Blue trailed 3-0 going into the seventh and scored two runs before leaving the bases loaded in the loser-out game. Parker Monette had three hits for the Blues, …
The Grand Fork Royals took two games from the Fargo Post 400 Trappers in North Dakota Class AA American Legion play Friday night at Kraft Field in Grand Forks. The Royals won the first game 5-0 and the second 7-3. The first game was the completion of a game started June 13 in Fargo that was halted in the second inning …
A lot of people believe that’s there’s nothing better to do on a nice summer night than go to a baseball game. And that’s exactly what Grand Forks photographer Russ Hons did Wednesday night. Here are some of the photos Russ took of the American Legion game between host Grand Forks Post 6 and visiting Fargo Post 2 at Kraft Field …
For high drama, Wednesday-into-Thursday’s historic World Series Game 7 between the long-suffering Chicago Cubs and Cleveland Indians franchises made for worthwhile baseball viewing and listening. In my case, it was some of both. Thank goodness for car radios. A cleanly played game? Not really. You could question some of the unorthodox managerial decisions, too. Still, the contest featured enough some …
As another steamy summer slips slowly southward, I’ll remember this one for two reasons: monstrous Midwestern mosquitoes and batches of bad baseball. Yes, our lawn has never looked greener in late September, but I’m looking forward to the fall. I would imagine the Minnesota Twins are, too. It seems we’ll both be eager to get the bugs out. While the …
The Fargo-Moorhead RedHawks lost 14-4 to the Wichita Wings on Sunday at Newman Outdoor Field but still picked up their first series win of the season in American Association baseball play. The RedHawks defeated Wichita 13-3 on Friday and 7-3 on Saturday. They are now 5-5 on the season and are two games behind the 7-3 St. Paul Saints in …
A few years ago while I was teaching a karate class at my gym, a mother and her son arrived for the youngster’s first private karate lesson. As they sat down to wait for the lesson to begin, I noticed the boy was sitting on his mom’s lap — he was 12 years old. An hour later, another 12-year-old arrived …
The major league baseball playoffs are in full swing and if this year’s early games are any indication, we could be in for a memorable fall. There have already been masterful pitching performances, monstrous home runs, odd plays and plenty of drama. Toss in the fact that the four teams still alive haven’t won a World Series in at least 22 years …
As a college broadcasting instructor, it’s my responsibility to give each of my students an update on his or her performance about halfway through each semester. The report is designed to praise students for their positive achievements, offer suggestions on how they might improve in other areas and, maybe most importantly, catch any trouble spots before it’s too late. While …
There’s been a lot of joy in Mudville this past week. Let me clarify that. Minnesota Twins fans like me have a lot to be happy about these days. Our “Boys of Summer” share first place with the Kansas City Royals in the American League’s Central Division with a 28-18 record. They also are tied with the Los Angeles Dodgers for …
Have you ever had the lyrics of a song rolling around inside your head that you just can’t get rid of, no matter what you do? I think just about everyone of us has experienced that. I remember years ago, a co-worker of mine, Andy Braford, used to get absolutely flustered when another colleague of ours would sing or recite the lines …
Few things offer a respite from the cold and snow than the thought of baseball. And for those who needed a break from the weather, the 55th annual Minnesota Twins Winter Caravan provided just that Wednesday morning at Perkins restaurant in Grand Forks. Starting pitcher Kyle Gibson and reliever Caleb Thielbar were joined by radio announcer and former Twins outfielder …