The first time I had lunch with Bill Virdon, he told me about his Spring Training with the Yankees, the team who signed him after watching him at an open tryout in Branson, Missouri. The Yankees had young superstar Mickey Mantle as their ...
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Baseball
Off-Season Baseball
“People ask me what I do in winter when there's no baseball. I'll tell you what I do. I stare out the window and wait for spring.”
— Rogers Hornsby
“None of the windows in my house have a good view.”
— Me
Now that the ...
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Second Chances
Baseball Seams Company gives baseballs a second chance. Baseballs that are waterlogged, scuffed, lopsided, with torn laces or covers are given the opportunity to become something new — art, keychains, necklaces, cufflinks. I’ve carried ...
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Championship Sunday
Eleven weeks after tryouts.
Championship Sunday.
Photo courtesy of Doug Bryan
I spent time in the booth with Rance during the third-place game, playing Monty to his Harry Doyle. Dayne Shoff, the seniorest veteran in the league, ...
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The Cyclones Last Game
Photo courtesy of Mike Hudgens Photography
“There’s an excitement in the air and a crisp autumn chill in the wind that can mean one thing: It’s time for playoff baseball in the Ozarks,” Rance said.
Rance’s monologue on the first day ...
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