MLB Unforgettable Catcher Plays

Joe Glasgow is a former senior staff writer at Fanstop.com, and is the author of the book Play Ball! Growing Up With Baseball https://amzn.to/2o4M62h

Funny Baseball Bloopers

Joe Glasgow is a former senior staff writer at Fanstop.com, and is the author of the book Play Ball! Growing Up With Baseball https://amzn.to/2o4M62h

Home Plate Collisions

2017 Baseball Predictions

I have been asked over the last several weeks about my picks for the 2017 baseball season. My prediction for the two wildcard teams in the AL are Toronto and Houston.  A game in which the Astros will defeat the Blue Jays. The next round winners will be Boston and Cleveland with Boston capturing the American League title.

In the National League the Mets square off with the Giants in the wildcard with the Mets prevailing in that game. The Cubs and Dodgers win their respective series, and the Cubs beat the Dodgers for the National League title.

The Cubs win their first back-to-back titles in the 1907-1908, by beating the Red Sox in seven games. Now, you didn't really think I was going to go against the Cubs did you? Please feel free to leave comments, or twitter me at @jsph1959,  you can email them to me by going to my webpage. www.joeglasgow.net/contact.html

AL East                                   AL Central                              AL West

Boston                                    Cleveland                                    Texas

Toronto                                   Detroit                                         Houston

New York                               Kansas City                                 Seattle        

Baltimore                               Chicago WS                                LA Angels

Tampa Bay                             Minnesota                                    Oakland

NL East                                   NL Central                              NL West

Washington                                 Chicago Cubs                          LA Dodgers

New York                                    St. Louis                                  SF Giants  

Miami                                          Pittsburgh                                Arizona

Philadelphia                                Milwaukee                                Colorado

Atlanta                                         Cincinnati                                 San Diego

Kerry Wood Makes Final Appearance

May 18, 2012. Chicago Cubs pitcher Kerry Wood calls it a career making his last appearance against the Chicago White Sox. The final batter Wood faces is Dayan Viciedo, Wood fans Viciedo walks off the mound to the hug of his young son.

Joe Glasgow is a former senior staff writer at Fanstop.com, and is the author of the book Play Ball! Growing Up With Baseball https://amzn.to/2o4M62h

Sammy Launches Two Home Runs In One Inning

May 16, 1996. Sammy Sosa becomes the first Chicago Cub to hit two home runs in one inning. The feat was accomplished in the seventh inning against the Houston Astros in 13-1 Cubs romp. He leads of the inning with a home run off Jeff Tabaka, and later in the inning he would add a two-run shot off Jim Dougherty.

Sam "Toothpick" Jones Hurls No-Hitter

May 12, 1955. Sam "toothpick" Jones completes an improbable no-hitter in a 4-0 victory over the Pittsburgh Pirates. Jones walked the bases loaded in the ninth inning, and then proceeded to fan Dick Groat, Roberto Clemente, and Frank Thomas. Jones was the first African-American to toss a no-hitter in Major League Baseball. He is the ninth rookie to accomplish the feat.

Joe Glasgow is a former senior staff writer at Fanstop.com, and is the author of the book Play Ball! Growing Up With Baseball https://amzn.to/2o4M62h

Ernie Banks Hits Number 500

May 12, 1970. Chicago Cubs great Ernie Banks hits his 500th home run of his career off Atlanta Braves hurler Pat Jarvis. Rico Carty of the Braves retrieves the ball after it bounces back onto the field.

Joe Glasgow is a former senior staff writer at Fanstop.com, and is the author of the book Play Ball! Growing Up With Baseball https://amzn.to/2o4M62h

Javier Baez Walk Off Home Run 5/8/2016

May 8, 2016. Javier Baez crushes a walk-off home run against the Washington Nationals. The extra inning win gives the Cubs a four-game sweep over the visiting Nats. The Cubs continue their best start since 1907.

Joe Glasgow is a former senior staff writer at Fanstop.com, and is the author of the book Play Ball! Growing Up With Baseball https://amzn.to/2o4M62h

2016 Chicago Cubs Hype Video

The 2016 season could be a historic one for the Chicago Cubs. A good video to get the blood pumping for any Cubs fan. In my 48th year following the Cubs, I hope this is "the year." It should be a season filled with fun, and many highlights. Enjoy.

Instant chills Cubs Hype 2015

 
Cubs Hype 2015: http://tinyurl.com/okjrxgv

The Pick-Up Game

Visit my author page at: http://tinyurl.com/pvh9mds

Long before PlayStation, video games, and 400-cable television stations occupied the time of a teenager, it was the time of sweltering monotonous Indiana summers, sun, and new friendships.

It was the early 70’s; my parents were divorced. Mom had just remarried, and we moved to town. We were pleased to find the neighborhood was loaded with kids. It didn’t take long to realize there were guys who liked to play baseball. The caps indicated their favorite teams. Taking a quick census I noted four Reds, four Cardinals, and one lone Braves fan in the mix. When they found out that my favorite team was the Cubs there was a collective sigh. The kind of uncomfortable sigh you might get when someone finds out you recently lost a loved one.

The call came early in the morning (9:30 is really early for a 12 year-old). It started with a simple “you guys wanna play some ball?” My brother told me to get my glove: We were invited to the pick-up game.

I donned my beat Cubs cap, and well worn-out Cubs t-shirt, while my brother wore his Pittsburgh Pirates t-shirt. We wanted to show these town boys that we were serious ballplayers. I grabbed the Mickey Mantle model my dad had given us: We were sporting the “latest technology” as aluminum bats were called.

On the way to Mr. Anderson’s field they informed us it was best to get in a couple of games before it was too hot to play. There were 12 or 14 of us with bats slung over our shoulders, and gloves on our hands. Mr. Anderson’s field was actually was a very large well-manicured lawn. He informed us with a kind but stern demeanor that we would have to alternate home plate as not to wear bare spots in his yard.  We accepted his terms.

Big Mike still suffered from the near-miss in the spring. He had launched a line drive down the right-field line, and straight through the window of Widow Jones. They were certain he had killed her.  Worse off he had to cut her lawn all summer to pay for the damages.

The neighborhood rules were addressed. The most important ground rule was the pitcher’s hand. You had to get to first before the pitcher got the ball in his glove. Hitting into the stand of trees was considered a home run. To this day I don’t think anyone got close. I would find out that it was a ritual to address the ground rules before the games could start.

And then came the time to address the picking of teams. The guys looked at me and my brother with suspicion as to whether we possessed any ability. On that first day, we were picked second to last. A couple of brothers without gloves or bats were picked after us.

We played until the sun became unbearable and called it quits for another day. We would walk a couple of blocks to the neighborhood grocery. While enjoying a cold soda or an ice cream, we discussed the prowess of our game, made fun of each other, and swooned over the high school girls who were regular sunbathers in our neighborhood. In a short time though the girls, cars, and jobs would win over playing ball...

 Copyright 2014 Perry J. Glasgow

The Old Ballpark

Visit my author page at: http://tinyurl.com/pvh9mds

In the eternal green pastures of my youth there is an old ballpark. Where all games were competitive, every day was Sunday, and there were no rainouts.

 My dad had just finished cutting the grass when I noticed he was painting “Cubs Park” on the front of the corn crib. I ask dad what he was doing, and he replied that he was building a ballpark. I was only ten, but knew we lived out in the boondocks. Long before “The Field of Dreams” my dad believed that if you built a diamond, people would show up to play.

It was the park where at ten years old I was jerked out of the lineup for booting three balls in an inning. With my tear-stained face humiliated by having been jerked out of the lineup, I spent the afternoon glaring at the second baseman.

There was a backstop made of saplings and chicken wire about eight feet wide. It protected the ball from rolling into the dry creek bed that ran parallel to the field. The huge sycamore tree marked the leftfield foul pole. In the leftfield power alley a second dry creek bed marked the home run boundary. On the fly into the creek there was a home run (watch out for the snakes when retrieving the ball). Our ground rules were a little odd when it came to the centerfield to rightfield foul line. The boundary was marked by buried ceramic blocks. Outfielders were allowed to run beyond the boundary but anything that landed or dropped was considered home runs.  Dad made bases out of feed sacks filled with dirt: The field was ready for the games to begin.

It wasn’t long before the field was noticed, and we started playing both slow and fast pitch softball on Sundays. Family, friends, and strangers now stopped to play the game.

When I pass the field today, I often think of those times. I can hear the cheering, cussing, and the sound of the crack of the bat. Nature has reclaimed her field: It is now overgrown with weeds, saplings; the bases are occupied with field mice, rabbits, and snakes. The backstop is gone, no signs of any games ever being played. Now my dad is gone as are most of the older men who played those games.

The summer before my father’s passing we stood where the backstop once had its place, and looked over the field. Neither of us said a word. We just looked at each other and smiled.

###
copyright 2013 Perry J. Glasgow

It's not easy being . . . a Cubs fan . . .

Visit my author page at: http://tinyurl.com/pvh9mds

It was spring. I was 9 years old, and was playing catch with my younger brother Jay. I had just finished reading “The Baseball Life of Mickey Mantle”. We went in for supper, and in all excitement of having made a lifetime choice, I announced to my dad: “I am going to be a Yankees fan!” My dad, who was skeptical of all book readers, answered just with a blunt “No.” Okay, I had been prepared – and had my second choice. I had admired the uniforms of the St. Louis Cardinals. So, gathering my courage, I proclaimed: “Well, then I will be a Cardinals fan.” The response of my dad was short and sweet: “You aren't a kid anymore. If you are going to eat at my table, we are Cubs fans in this house.”

In 1969, I thought I had caught good fortune and was onboard for the big win. I remember the old 50's radio that dad got into working order. We would listen to WGN, by August we were sweating out these young upstart New York Mets, who seemed to never lose. I remember the anguish of September as the Cubs couldn't seem to win, and the Mets couldn't lose. It cemented my dad's hate for the New York Mets forever.

The 70's made us skeptics. In the early 70's we always appeared to be contenders… all the time… only to be felled by the June swoon, or July goodbye.

And then in 1977, the Cubs announcer Lou Boudreau declared that “when a team reaches 25 games over .500, they will never see .500 again.”  It was a poignant moment for my dad and me: We both just looked at each other and laughed. We had become skeptics. Never again would we dare to believe the Cubs could win. Leading by 8 ½ games, we finished 20 games out. On the last day of the season, we laughed about the notion we could ever win. After all, we were just the Cubs.

My only outward rebellion against my dad came during the 1977 collapse. Keith Hernandez robbed a Cubs hitter by snagging a line drive. I got up and turned off the television and refused to turn it on again notwithstanding dad’s orders and threats.

By 1979, I had enlisted in the Air Force, and was gone until the summer of 1982. My enlistment was up, and dad told me of this kid Sandberg, who was struggling at the plate, and that he didn't think that the kid would ever make it. My first game I saw him play he had a couple of hits. It became a point that I never let my dad forget.

1984. The Cubs were in post-season for the first time since 1945. We used to joke and pretend to press a magic button whenever we needed a hit or double play. It was a magical time for us. Leading in the playoffs up 2-0, and going to San Diego. The moment that haunted our lives was the ball going between Leon “Bull” Durham's legs. We never blamed Durham but always felt we were screwed by the Major League Baseball for giving San Diego the home field advantage because the Cubs didn't have lights at the time.

After the 1984 season, we both never again dreamed the Cubs would win. We loved, cussed and discussed the Cubs season after season. In 2002, my dad, a heart transplant recipient, was losing his battle. His kidneys were failing, and we spent his final days laughing and discussing the miserable existence of a lifetime Cubs fan.

When pitchers and catchers report, I always think of dad.

It is spring again, and I am 9 years old. The Cubs radio broadcast plays “It's the Beautiful Day for a Ballgame,” concluding with the announcement the Chicago Cubs are on the air. We stretch on the bed to listen to the game, with me acting at times as the human antenna for that old radio. Miss you pops.

In memory of Perry Dale Glasgow, a diehard lifetime Cubs fan

(10/2/1940 – 12/13/2002)

Copyright 2012-2018