Long Baseball Careers Cut Short by Injury

I love looking back on the careers of players who are close to my age.  I like to remember what I was doing during their prime playing years.  I recall particular games which I watched or listened to. This article is the second in my recurring series on pairs of players whose careers produced similar […]

Learn from Baseball Statistics — Shortened Playing Careers

I love learning from the statistics of comparable players from the same era.  The numbers can yield perspective on a player’s longevity and productivity.  The numbers can also inspire fans as we learn from the unique experiences of players who persevere.  This article is the first in my recurring series on pairs of players whose […]

Baseball Fans at Home – Cool Connections

As the summer heat peaks and stadiums are filled with more typical attendance, some baseball fans at home may decide to stay there. Utilizing your connections to watch games can serve as a fine alternative to braving the elements and crowds outdoors.  For those with some entertainment dollars to budget, major league baseball games are […]

Baseball Fans Return as Stadium Capacity Increases

It seemed impossible, like wishful thinking, when MLB opened training camps in mid-February and a few visionaries expressed hope that with vaccines continuing to roll out, games could be played before full stadiums with fans by the start of July.  Some scoffed, or even expressed dismay about the decision to gather 50 to 60 players […]

Can Temperature Predict MLB Baseball Attendance?

Can temperature predict MLB baseball attendance and what weather conditions could bring the biggest crowds in 2021?  The answer depends more on the calendar than you might think, especially in this reopening year when potential ticket sales should gradually approach full capacity in some ballparks!  Some time ago, I looked at attendance averages from the […]

Ballpark Directions – Beyond GPS

If I had talked about ballpark directions twenty-five years ago, the reader would have been thinking in terms of learning the route to the stadium.  The directions to the ballpark to which I refer here relate to the layout or orientation of stadiums with respect to points on the compass.  This is so important that […]

Three Lessons from Opening Week

2021 Season Off to a Good Start History doesn’t always repeat in baseball, but it often rhymes.  There were three lessons from the opening week of the 2021 season that really should come as no surprise.  It seems we re-learn these lessons every season! Playing in the Cold is Challenging The first lesson from opening […]

Weather Outlook for Start to the 2021 MLB Season

Some Teams Have a Big Adjustment to Make The weather outlook for the start to the 2021 MLB season shows that some major league teams have a big adjustment to make as they head north.  Baseball teams leave the frigid north in mid-February to train in pleasantly warm conditions and then sometimes flee the increasing […]

Five Tips for Baseball Fans to Avoid Waiting in Line

Arrive at the Game Earlier (or Later) Baseball fans can avoid waiting in line by taking advantage of the fact that stadium gates usually will open about ninety minutes before the start of the game.  A real motivator to arrive early is when the team is giving away a novelty or commemorative item because supplies […]

Baseball Under Review – Where to Attend Games in 2021

In the pandemic season of 2020, it seemed that everything about the game was under review and subject to change – often on short notice.  To get safely through the 2020 season changes were made to the length of games (7-inning doubleheaders), the number and timing of off days, and game sites. In 2021, we […]