One Blown Call
26 hitters in a row – one to go and another perfect game in the record books. A hard-hit ground ball to the right side of the infield, pitcher covers first base in plenty of time – runner is easily out. But no. With one blown call, a perfect game becomes a one-hitter, and baseball, a game built on stats and history, loses another potential record – three perfect games in one season. And the career of one of Major League Baseball’s finest umpires will forever be stained by one call. Jim Joyce will join a very select fraternity of Umps, including Don Denkinger, a...
Read MoreTales of a Misspent Youth
This is the second post in the series “The Art of the Autograph.” I am a kid again when asking for an autograph from anyone wearing a Major League uniform – from the stars to the youngster just brought up from the Minors for a “cup of coffee.” For a half century I’ve been a collector. I’ve watched promising rookies develop into stars, and I’ve watched them retire – some gracefully, some not. But I have their autographs as a part of their history and mine. The collection officially started in 1962 when I met the “Yankee Clipper,” Joe...
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