All Entries in the "Bill’s Analysis" Category
Harper Changes Hagerstown on His Way to Washington
Superstars change everything, no matter where they go. This is true in business, personal life and, of course, sports and is on display, at least for the time being, in Hagerstown, MD. Hagerstown is the home of the Hagerstown Suns, the Class A Affiliate of the Washington Nationals and is home to [...]
L.P. Frans Stadium – Home of the Hickory Crawdads
Built in 1993, L.P. Frans Stadium is home to the Hickory Crawdads, the high A affiliate of the Texas Rangers. The stadium seats just over 5,000 people and overall probably has a bit more to offer than most stadiums that host a team on that level. One of the most unique facets of the [...]
The Way of Baseball – Finding Stillness at 95 MPH : A Book Review
Stillness is not something most people think of when they picture a fastball being thrown in their direction. However, in his new book, former MLB All Star Shawn Green attempts to explain to readers the how they can find meaning in all parts of life, whether they are flipping burgers or stepping in the batter’s [...]
Play By Play: A Book Review
Neal Conan’s voice is known by many across the country due to his coverage of political issues on National Public Radio’s show Talk of the Nation, not for baseball play calling. Despite his popularity and the security of employment gained through being with NPR, Conan had a chance to do what many baseball fans dream [...]
Baseball Miscellany: A Book Review
Serious baseball fans tend to think they know the answers to the serious baseball questions that non-serious baseball fans may not even understand, let alone be able to answer. What these serious fans may not realize when they are explaining what VORP means to their seemingly impressed co-worker, is that they don’t even know the [...]
Cardboard Gods: A Book Review
Usually I don’t write book reviews in the first person, but I will make an exception here because I feel it is the best way to illustrate the magnitude of this specific work. “Cardboard Gods: An American Tale” by Josh Wilker is on the surface, a story about a boy and his baseball card [...]
Pinstripe Defection: A Book Review
David vs. Goliath stories never get old and sometimes it feels like the public has heard all of the ones worth hearing. Author Clay McKinney teaches readers there’s at least one more relatively unknown story out there that pits the little guy versus the big guy in a big way. In “Pinstripe Defection: A Small [...]
Campy: The Two Lives of Roy Campanella; A Book Review
Even some who consider themselves serious fans of the game of baseball probably don’t know the true historical significance of the career and life of Roy Campanella. To many, Campanella is just a name of someone who is in the Hall of Fame, but he accomplished so much more on and off the [...]
Baseball in the Garden of Eden, A Book Review
If you are someone who still whole heartedly believes Abner Doubleday is the soul person responsible for creating America’s Pastime, author John Thorn has some major news for you. In his new work Baseball in the Garden of Eden: The Secret History of the Early Game, Thorn examines many “myths” of the game so many [...]
Book Review: Satch, Dizzy & Rapid Robert
Timothy Gay is known to those who read extensively about baseball as a good writer, but more importantly, someone who is willing to do the research required to undertake accurate storytelling of some of the most interesting, and important, times in baseball history. In “Satch, Dizzy & Rapid Robert: The wild Saga of Interracial Baseball [...]
B is for Baseball: Alphabet Cards; A Product Review
Artist Doug Keith has tried to make a solution for a problem many baseball fans across the country face in regards to raising their young ones. Often parents of America’s Pastime are left asking themselves, “How can I bring the game I love to my children at a young age in a [...]
Remembering Fenway Park, A Book Review
When Harvey Frommer set out to write the history of Fenway Park, he no doubt knew he had his work cut out for him. This is not a book where if the author just muddled through their research, they could get away with it as its focus is one of the most famous meccas of [...]
Book Review: Derek Jeter from the Pages of the New York Times
Derek Jeter may not be one of the ten best players in baseball any longer and many fans will argue how much he has been responsible for his own greatness, but one thing is for sure, when Jeter’s name comes up, people listen. That’s what essayist Tyler Kepner and the other writers of this book [...]
Book Review: Glory Days: The Akron Yankees of the Middle Atlantic League 1935-1941
Many in Northeast Ohio would be surprised to learn that the disliked New York Yankees used to have a farm team bearing their same name right in their backyard. While fans in this area of the country do not have the contempt for the Big League Yankees as, say, those in Boston, there is still [...]
Labor Peace in Baseball: Who would have guessed?
Sports radio was a buzz last week in the wake of the Super Bowl with discussion about when fans may again see their favorite professional teams back on the gridiron. While many people started out with an optimistic view of the discussions between the owners and the players association, there is currently a very sour [...]
Book Review: Arm Chair Reader Grand Slam Baseball: The Lore and Legends of America’s Game
If a sports fan is looking for the perfect reading partner in the bathroom, this book may provide them with just what they are looking for. With over 400 pages of baseball facts, statistics and stories, Grand Slam Baseball is sure to teach even the most knowledgeable of baseball fans a thing or two about [...]
Book Review: Scorecasting: The Hidden Influences Behind How Spots Are Played and Games are Won
What happens when one of the most renowned finance professionals in the country gets together with one of the mist intelligent sports writers in the country? They create a perception of sports that has never been heard before. In Scorecasting finance scholar Tobias Moskowitz and sports journalist L. Jon Wertheim attempt to answer questions that [...]
Stadium Review: Prince George’s Stadium Home of the Bowie Baysox
If someone looked up AA Minor League Baseball stadium in the encyclopedia, they probably wouldn’t find anything, but if there was an entry, the accompanying picture would probably be one of Prince George’s Stadium in Bowie, Maryland. It’s the home to the AA affiliate of the Baltimore Orioles. Prince George’s Stadium has everything a stadium [...]
Broadcaster Ernie Harwell to Receive Vin Scully Lifetime Achievement Award
Image by “CAVE CANEM” via Flickr Many around baseball have heard of Ernie Harwell, the longtime voice of the Detroit Tigers, and he will be recognized on May 5 with another honor to add to his Hall of Fame resume. On that date, Harwell will receive the Vin Scully Lifetime Achievement Award from Fordham’s WFUV [...]
Book Review: Burying the Curse, By Terry Pluto
To many, Terry Pluto has been the most trusted voice of Cleveland sports over the past two decades. Through his tenure with the Akron Beacon Journal and the Cleveland Plain Dealer, Pluto had readers waiting for the paper to get his specific view on whatever issue was going on at that time. Pluto has also [...]
February’s Look at the Cleveland Indians
Image by Getty Images via Daylife The Indians started the off season by firing their manager and his coaches, but keeping most of the other front office personnel in place. They staged some what of an extensive manager search and ended on former Washington Nationals’ skipper Manny Acta. There was a big deal made in [...]
Stadium Review: Nationals Stadium, Home of the Washington Nationals
Image by aquarian librarian via Flickr Even though the Washington Nationals don’t have their own baseball history and Washington D.C. is not known as a hub for baseball traditionalists and major fans of America’s pastime, their stadium just may be one of the best in the league. Nationals Stadium is obviously one of the newer [...]
Stadium Review: Busch Stadium, Home of the St. Louis Cardinals
Image via Wikipedia Upon arrival at Busch Stadium, one thing comes completely clear, the planners of this park certainly did all they could to remind fans of the rich history of the Cardinals, while also keeping a modern look present with the park. Image by Teny Jr via Flickr The entire stadium is brick and [...]
Stadium Review: Blair County Ballpark Home of the Altoona Curve
Blair County Ballpark gets its first praise from this reviewer from the title of the stadium because they have not yet followed suit with many other major and minor league teams and sold the naming rights to their stadium. This is not to say that it will never happen, but it is good to see [...]
Numbers Indicate Baseball Participation Grows in Europe as the Baseball World Cup Nears
Recent polls have illustrated that baseball is no longer just a hip sport in the Americas as the interest and participation continues to grow across Europe. This growth has been marked by the institution of new clinics, the foundation of new federation web sites and grassroots programs that are being instituted for all ages. Much [...]
Indians After Two Months = Disappointing
While the Cleveland Indians are currently on a winning streak at the time of this writing, it is the first time in nearly a month that they have won at least two games in a row. Even though there were no huge expectations coming into this season like there were in 2008 when many, including [...]
IBAF Names Donna Lopiano, Ph. D., As Chair of Women’s Baseball Committee
The IBAF has announced that Dr. Donna Poliano has officially been named the chair of the women’s baseball committee. Dr. Lopiano has held many previous roles in sports including being the Chief Executive Officer of the Women’s Sports Foundation. She has also been recognized on an international level for leading the movement for gender equality [...]
PlayerPulse.com Provides a New Sports Perspective
Jarett Sims, digital entrepreneur and son of Emmy Award winning television and radio voice Dave Sims, currently the voice of the Seattle Mariners, has officially announced the inauguration of PlayerPulse.com. The website is designed to bring many of today’s influential personalities from the world of sports including athletes, journalists and sportscasters to one place to [...]
Joe DiMaggio Award Gala to Honor Reggie Jackson
Image via Wikipedia Xaverian High School president Dr. Salvatore Ferrera announced that former New York Yankee Reggie Jackson would be honored at a dinner held at their school on May 5. The event, which is called the Joe DiMaggio Awards Banquet benefits the Brooklyn, New York School and was held last week. According to Ferrera, [...]
America’s Pastime: The Last 4 Innings
Sixth Inning The culmination of a week long bike trip with my Boy Scout troop that encompassed 150 miles was a baseball game on the fourth of July at PNC Park, home of the Pittsburgh Pirates. My dad was not able to accompany us on the biking journey, although he would have loved to, because [...]
<--under the