OLD SCHOOL BALL

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Thu, 13 Jun 2013 07:45:50 -0400

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Tue, 11 Jun 2013 15:15:51 -0400

baseballsdeep: Happy Anniversary Mom and Dad Today my parents...

Tue, 04 Jun 2013 09:32:50 -0400

Photo by Joseph Brendel

Photo by Joseph Brendel

Happy Anniversary Mom and Dad

Today my parents celebrate their 47th wedding anniversary. Yesterday, my father turned 72 years young. Happy Birthday Pop!

When my parents first came to the US, my father would often bring (read “drag”) his then young bride to Forbes Field to watch the Pirates. He watched legends including Koufax, Mays, Marichal and his favorite player Clemente. My mom likes to tell the story of how she almost hit Sandy Koufax with her car while he was crossing the street in Pittsburgh.

On Wednesday May 11, 1966, the San Francisco Giants, my father’s favorite team, were in town. He and my mom, who was still well over a year away from having me, went to the game, but left after the bottom of the 8th inning at the insistance of my mom. The Giants were leading 4-1 at the time. As luck would have it though, in the top of the 9th Mays hit a two-run home run that landed near my parents in the street beyond the left field wall. It was the 514th home run of Mays’ career and it set the final score at 6-1.

My father retrieved the ball and returned to the ballpark early the next day. He made his way to the visitors dugout where he met Mays and Marichal who both autographed the ball for him. That ball would be worth hundreds if not thousands today.

I say “would be” because a few years later my younger brother and I lost/destroyed the ball while playing catch with it in our backyard.

Yeah.

I was about six at the time, so I’m just going to blame that on my youth. My father never showed that he was upset about the loss of the ball. He tells the story almost with pride about how it was destroyed by his two oldest sons.

I hope to get my father another ball signed by both Mays and Marichal.

Photo Credits:
Middle Left and Right: photos by Joseph Brendel

http://oldschoolbasketball.tumblr.com if you like basketball too

Sun, 02 Jun 2013 19:50:37 -0400

http://oldschoolbasketball.tumblr.com

if you like basketball too

mlboffseason: Probably one of my Top 10 favorite MLB photos of...

Sat, 25 May 2013 16:28:46 -0400

mlboffseason:

Probably one of my Top 10 favorite MLB photos of all-time.

August 22nd, 1965 - LA Dodgers Sandy Koufax winds up during a game vs. the San Francisco Giants at Candlestick Park.

© NEIL LEIFER, 1965

siphotos: Mike Piazza plays the drums in the basement of Dodger...

Thu, 23 May 2013 11:16:53 -0400

siphotos:

Mike Piazza plays the drums in the basement of Dodger Stadium in May 1998. (VJ Lovero)

GALLERY: Rare Photos of Mike Piazza

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Tue, 21 May 2013 21:32:25 -0400

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Thu, 09 May 2013 15:38:31 -0400

life: Happy birthday, Willie Mays. To celebrate, enjoy these...

Mon, 06 May 2013 16:13:28 -0400

life:

Happy birthday, Willie Mays.

To celebrate, enjoy these photos of the Say Hey Kid, on and off the diamond.

Pictured: Willie Mays at home, 1954. “Willie is one of those abnormal guys who never lets success and fame go to his head.” — Monte Irvin, teammate.

(Alfred Eisenstaedt—TIME & LIFE Pictures/Getty Images)

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Fri, 03 May 2013 17:36:23 -0400

the man

Thu, 02 May 2013 19:48:31 -0400

the man

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Thu, 02 May 2013 17:34:46 -0400

submariners <3

Mon, 29 Apr 2013 20:50:09 -0400

submariners <3

Why is MLB.TV so bad?

Sun, 28 Apr 2013 15:50:39 -0400

Why is MLB.TV so bad?

http://www.dodgersblueheaven.com/2013/02/some-vintage-1955-color-...

Wed, 24 Apr 2013 19:27:43 -0400

http://www.dodgersblueheaven.com/2013/02/some-vintage-1955-color-brooklyn-dodger.html

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Wed, 24 Apr 2013 19:08:59 -0400

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Mon, 15 Apr 2013 13:19:33 -0400

life: Seven decades ago, Jackie Robinson stepped onto...

Thu, 11 Apr 2013 10:18:25 -0400

life:

Seven decades ago, Jackie Robinson stepped onto Brooklyn’s Ebbets Field and changed not only the face of professional baseball in America: in ways subtle and profound, he changed the nation itself.

Here, a selection of both classic and, in some cases, rare pictures that paint a portrait of a man whose dignity, competitive fire and grace under pressure set him indelibly and inevitably apart from his peers and his rivals.

(Allan Grant—Time & Life Pictures/Getty Images)

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Fri, 05 Apr 2013 14:28:31 -0400

i’m back, can’t believe Yu didn’t get the...

Thu, 04 Apr 2013 11:27:30 -0400

i’m back, can’t believe Yu didn’t get the perfecto :(