In 1935, Lena Blackburne—one-time-phenom-shortstop-turned-utility-infielder-turned-coach-turned-manager-turned-coach again—was described by The Sporting News, 16 years after his playing career ended, in the only terms that mattered to the historical record. Never mind that he was “intelligent,” “industrious” and “a fighter,” all of which the newspaper took care to note. No, the most important facet of the man’s game was […]
GRAHAM MCNAMEE, BASEBALL’S FIRST RADIO STAR
Largely unknown to twenty-first-century baseball fans, Graham McNamee pioneered dramatic play-by-play radio announcing in the 1920s, and his colorful style continues to influence broadcasters today. In part 2 of his series on the media in Major League Baseball, Pomrenke describes why McNamee was given the Ford C. Frick Award for excellence in baseball broadcasting in […]
“BASEBALL IS A FUNNY GAME,” BY JOE GARAGIOLA
To the extent Baseball Is a Funny Game is recalled today, it is largely for its yarns. This is due in part to the content and in part to the subsequent reputation of the author. When the book hit stores in May of 1960, Joe Garagiola was a little-known retired catcher who had taken up color commentary […]
My Favorite Player: Lefty Brewer
When I first started researching ballplayers who served in the military during World War II, I stumbled upon a little-known fellow named Lefty Brewer. Lefty had enjoyed a successful career pitching in the minors during the late 1930s but never made it to the big leagues. The war saw to that. Lefty lost his life […]
BACK IN TIME: A TRIP TO HISTORIC WARREN BALLPARK
Driving south from Tucson on Arizona Highway 80, beyond the Wild West outpost-turned-tourist trap of Tombstone, past an endless landscape of sagebrush and cactus, you enter a tunnel carved into the Mule Mountains near the Mexican border. When you exit that tunnel, it’s as if you have traveled back in time. Welcome to Bisbee, Arizona. […]