Remembering Earl Weaver, and Thinking of Homer
Given the divine sense of humor, the reception committee appointed to meet Earl Weaver, the Hall of Fame manager of the Baltimore Orioles during their dynasty years — yes, Virginia,
Notre Dame Punts
In the pantheon of Notre Dame football anecdotes, “Win one for the Gipper” barely beats out Lou Holtz’s lesson in Mariology — a legendary bon mot that, though doubtless embellished
Meditations at the All Star Break
For the past two decades I’ve taught in Cracow every July. I’d not trade the experience for anything, but it’s had one drawback: I haven’t seen baseball’s All Star Game
Tim Tebow and Christophobia
Two weeks into the NFL season, ESPN ran a Sunday morning special exploring why the third-string quarterback of the Denver Broncos, Tim Tebow, had become the most polarizing figure in
Roger Maris and the Summer of 1961
Five years ago, I made the argument for Hoosiers as the greatest sports movie ever and lamented the absence of great baseball films. Hoosiers is still the gold standard but
NBA Fan Bases, Skill Sets, and Bodies of Work
Another NBA season is in the rear-view mirror, and given impending labor strife between grotesquely tattooed millionaire players and their billionaire owners, another such marathon may be a long way
World Cup Blues
Although I played a bit of the “beautiful game” in high school and college, and rooted for the Baltimore Bays when professional soccer was trying to get started in the
Job Revisited: Notes of an Orioles Fan
On October 4, the Baltimore Orioles will take the field at Camden Yards against the Toronto Blue Jays and, win or lose, complete their twelfth losing season in a row
Let Us Now Praise the Little Professor
In another summer of baseball’s steroid-driven discontent — A-Rod scandals, Manny’s suspension, Clemens’s denials, etc., — it’s worth remembering a different era in the pastime, the virtues of which were
The Mighty, Fallen
At a Tampa press conference on February 17, Yankees’ third baseman Alex Rodriguez was asked whether his use of steroids for three seasons constituted “cheating.” “That is not for me
Remembering the Greatest
A few months back, my daughter, Monica, and I were lunching with friends when the inimitable Joe Epstein interrupted the grey-beards’ football tales, turned to my daughter, and asked, “Do
The Ripken Ethic
In Men at Work, George F. Will began his celebration of baseball defense with a tale of Cal and Bill Ripken turning a rally-killing double-play while their father watched from
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