From Gambling to … Gambling
Baseball has come full circle. From gambling to … gambling. From its roots with professional gamblers in the earliest days of amateur baseball to its growth as a business that provided athletic thrills to paying fans, many of whom bet …
Baseball Magic, Sixties Style
A friend once asked me why I loved baseball so much as a kid. “Baseball magic,” I said. “What’s baseball magic?” she asked. I thought about the idea for a few moments. What was baseball magic? Several thoughts came to …
Daily Fantasy Baseball Gambling on Pete Rose
Breaking News from The Off-Base Newsdesk* at Foul Territory… NEW YORK – With Draft Kings and Fan Duel vying for maximum market share of the ever-expanding daily fantasy sports (DFS) market, they each have set their sights on a spokesman …
Because this John Means Business
While I prefer not to admit it, I watch Baltimore Oriole games when John Means pitches. Perhaps because he pitches quickly, efficiently, and has worked to an ERA of 2.67 so far this season. Meaning that Means makes Baltimore baseball …
Common Law Origins of the Infield Fly Rule
Fans hardly ever hear an announcer declare the umpires have just called the infield fly rule. Does the ordinary fan have any idea that the infield fly rule is called when first and second, or first, second, and third bases …
Baseball Magic: Dining at Pino’s with Jerry Casale
Years ago there was a southern Italian trattoria on East 34th Street in Manhattan, called Pino’s. It was owned by an ex-major league pitcher from Brooklyn named Gennaro Joseph ‘Jerry’ Casale. No doubt about it, walking into Pino’s was like …
Little League Should Avoid Emulating the New National Pastime
The Care and Feeding Column in Slate recently addressed a common issue: overzealous coaching in a league of nine- and 10-year-old boys. A league of Little Leaguers. Playing the new national pastime. One of the boys’ mother’s voiced a common …
Will the Real Tom Terrific Please Sign In?
A thought occurred to me last week during the ridiculous skirmish between Tom Brady and supporters of Tom Seaver (who participated in absentia in this disagreement since he had been diagnosed with dementia in March of this year). Which Tom …
Is It Time for the Mets to Start Trading?
I’ve been a New York Mets fan since the very first pitch thrown by Roger Craig against the St. Louis Cardinals at Busch Stadium on April 11, 1962. Predictably, the game was an 11-4 loss – the first of 120 …
Major League Baseball Hears the Sound of Cricket
Breaking News from The Off-Base Newsdesk* at Foul Territory… NEW YORK – In order to cultivate its global presence, Major League Baseball is always looking to expand its appeal to the fans of other sports. Cricket is the second most …
