Kindred Blue
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Baseball lore, columns, videos, comedy, poetry, photos, history, a dab of Dodgers and more.
Kindred Blue
1y ago
What happens when a lifelong baseball fan goes to a professional football game? Not just any pro football battle, but Los Angeles Rams and the Dallas Cowboys at the state of the art stadium known as So Fi. Seventy thousand there. Packed. And many (I mean a whole lot) of Cowboy fans. Rabid fans on both sides – foaming at the mouth, and it wasn’t beer foam.
First, you don’t need hearing aids. You may need hearing muffs. It is that loud.
At one point cameras went through the crowd and exhorted the fans to show their muscles on the jumbo-tron. I have not seen that at a baseball game, at least not ..read more
Kindred Blue
1y ago
I have a great bobblehead collection, and am proud of it.
Last night the Dodgers had Freddy Freeman bobblehead night. Took off early, battled the notorious traffic, parking challenges, and walked eagerly to the park.
“I am so sorry, sir, but we have no more bobbleheads. Big crowd tonight, big, big crowd!”
The first 40,000 were to get a bobblehead. I believe at other entrances there were bobbleheads, at least at some, and I was certainly among the first 40,000, but no bobblehead for me.
No relief pitcher would come in for “the save”.
Went sourly with my buddy to our seats, sat down and got sit ..read more
Kindred Blue
1y ago
Ever wonder
which came first
the bat
or
the mitt
Seems like the bat
after which
then
you would discover
you could
sure
use a mitt
Nothing fancy about any of this
I
know
but
just want to share with
some
other kids
some
other baseball
fans
just want to acknowledge
that
I
have a bat
and
a
mitt
from long ago
when I
could swing
faster
and
catch
better
and
those two
are
like
brothers to me
really
all
the times we have been together
on the field
at
the plate
trudging home
some times
triumphant
some times
A bat and a mitt
are
essential
parts of
life
if you ask me
And they go together
well
base and bal ..read more
Kindred Blue
1y ago
We said little
just
back
and
forth
back and forth
and
sometimes
I would pitch
with
a
warm up
and
try to throw a strike
right
down
the
pipe
buddy
Time would
pass
the dog would lie
down
and doze off
Dad seemed
to
have his
mind
(and heart)
elsewhere
He liked
tossing
the ball
back and forth
with
me
When we were done
he’d say
“Let’s do that tomorrow!”
And often
enough
put his arm
around my
shoulder
as
we
went
inside
Typically
he
had
a compliment
for the
way
I
threw
the
ball
that day
And
nowadays
when
I
look back at it
you know
I
don’t think
it
was
a
ball
Seriously
I don’t think so
It just looked li ..read more
Kindred Blue
1y ago
Ok, so maybe it is too sappy. Maybe. But this is the first time in a year and a half my “game buddy” and I have gone to the stadium. We used to go regularly. Year and a half. Think of all that has happened in that time.
Last night.
Dodger Stadium.
We managed to get there early, the crowd is limited, it was quiet, serene, they were prepping the field. As we walked to the seats and as we sat down, that feeling returned. I would describe it like having become a very dry rock bed, arid, harsh… and then, after the rains, after a lot of weather, a lot of down pour, when the sun breaks through, the s ..read more
Kindred Blue
1y ago
April 15 may be “tax day” for some, but it should be much better known as Jackie Robinson Day. Here are some quotes from the man:
“Plenty of times I wanted to haul off when somebody insulted me for the color of my skin, but I had to hold to myself. I knew I was kind of an experiment. The whole thing was bigger than me.”
“A life is not important except in the impact it has on other lives.”
“I’m not concerned with your liking or disliking me. All I ask is that you respect me as a human being.”
“Life is not a spectator sport. If you’re going to spend your whole life in the grandstand just watchin ..read more
Kindred Blue
1y ago
One thing (among many) that we like about baseball are the stories. After all, baseball embraces itself, unabashedly, and well it should.
Did Babe point to center field and predict his home run? Well, I hope so. Lou Gehrig, being taken down by a disease which bears his name, telling us that day he is the luckiest man on earth. Bill Mazeroski hit that unlikely game winning home run in the ninth inning of the 1960 World Series, seventh game no less, never done before or since. Tommy Lasorda, who we can hear on You Tube, with language that at times would make a drunken sailor blush, but who remai ..read more
Kindred Blue
1y ago
Andrew Toles played for the Los Angeles Dodgers just a few years ago. Talented outfielder, lots of agility, and hit the ball well. He seemed a little reticent during interviews but also seemed to be coming out of his shell. Fans took to “Tolesy”. He showed a whole lot of promise.
Except it is two and a half years since he last played in a game. He “stepped away” from the team in 2019. It all seemed odd, the news was meager, it did not make sense.
He just up and vanished?
We have since learned Andrew has struggled with mental health issues for many years. To such an extent he lost contact with ..read more
Kindred Blue
1y ago
Yes, it is so important when you get knocked down to get back up. The problem is that it has become cliche. Truth is it hurts to get knocked down. It hurts to lose. It hurts to get bad news.
But there is little if any substitute for resilience.
Recently the great Professor Mookie Betts was asked about the Dodgers being down 3 to 1 in the play offs last season to no less than the Atlanta Braves who are indeed a very fine team.
He said…
When our backs were against the wall, we scratched and clawed our way back. Just showed what kind of team we have, I think we all knew it was just a matter of sh ..read more
Kindred Blue
1y ago
I have a great bobblehead collection, and am proud of it.
Last night the Dodgers had Freddy Freeman bobblehead night. Took off early, battled the notorious traffic, parking challenges, and walked eagerly to the park.
“I am so sorry, sir, but we have no more bobbleheads. Big crowd tonight, big, big crowd!”
The first 40,000 were to get a bobblehead. I believe at other entrances there were bobbleheads, at least at some, and I was certainly among the first 40,000, but no bobblehead for me.
No relief pitcher would come in for “the save”.
Went sourly with my buddy to our seats, sat down and got sit ..read more