Tag Archives: baseball

The Big Dive

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Our son is steadily getting himself into increasingly dangerous situations as time goes on. The strength of his little legs combined with his toned arms is making every area of our little home particularly susceptible to becoming a dangerous, child-crippling jungle gym. This new situation has had my wife and I on edge (particularly when our son situates himself perilously close to a step leading directly to a tile-floored head injury). This is exactly the situation we found ourselves in earlier this week. You see, our son likes playing with everything except his toys. Yes, I’m sorry to inform all … Continue reading →

Celebrities Who Had Baseball Dreams – Part 2

Another baseball season has kicked off and there are a least a few celebrities who, at one time, hoped to be on a diamond instead of on the big or small screen. Actor Kurt Russell’s father was a baseball player and Kurt had hoped to follow in his footsteps. Russell played second base for the Double-A minor league affiliate of the California Angels. He was leading the league in hitting with a .563 batting average before a collision with a player running to second base. Russell suffered a torn rotator cuff in his right shoulder and had to retire from … Continue reading →

Celebrities Who Had Baseball Dreams – Part 1

Many a little boy has had dreams of playing professional baseball one day, but did you know that some of your favorites had to settle for celebrity stardom instead? That’s right, had things been a bit different, instead of seeing George Clooney in Academy Award winning roles, you might have seen him on the baseball field. Clooney tried out for the Cincinnati Reds when he was younger, but failed to make the team. He is still a big Reds fan. In fact, Ellen DeGeneres used former Reds players as a ploy to get Clooney on her show last January. She … Continue reading →

Is Your Favorite Sport Putting You at Risk for Injury?

Health experts (as well as government officials) are constantly trying to motivate people to get moving. They want couch potatoes to get up and walk, run, enroll in an aerobics class, join a bowling league, play tennis, etc. However, doctors are now saying that if the right precautions are not taken, the amateur sports that experts want people to participate in can have unexpected long-term health risks. A new study conducted by a leading occupational therapist found that when leisure activities are not done properly they can have negative effects on the musculoskeletal system. According to the study, in the … Continue reading →

The Greatest Sports Gambling Scandals – Pete Rose

I have not doubt that a young Pete Rose heard the story of the Chicago Black Sox when he was growing up. However, it apparently had no effect on him at all. Pete Rose was a cornerstone of the Cincinnati Reds for twenty-three years. He played with them his entire major league baseball career – something you don’t see much of now days. Right before he retired as a player (and for three years afterwards), Rose served as the manager of the Reds. But, I guess all the fame and glory of his baseball days wasn’t enough because Rose bet … Continue reading →

All-American Family Vacation Destinations

What’s more American than baseball and apple pie? The big name sport is one of this country’s favorite pastimes and often serves as the focus for many a family vacation. If you have always dreamed of sharing popcorn and Cracker Jacks with your kids while watching the boys of summer swing and slide, but you don’t live near a city that has its own professional team you might consider the following travel packages, which allow families to take a trip to the ballpark without breaking the bank. SEATTLE The Hotel Nexus, located in the North Seattle University District, is offering … Continue reading →

The Best of George Carlin

Michele just wrote a blog of George Carlin’s life, but I feel that he was such a big part of pop culture for so long (5 decades!), that Families could stand two blogs. George and I had very little in common – he was a hippie type who liked to rag on the government and the president. I am a Republican yuppie who strongly supports most things our government does. However, somewhere in between, we found a common ground and more times than not, George had me laughing so hard, I cried. Like him or not, the world truly lost … Continue reading →

The Curse of the Billy Goat

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In case you haven’t noticed, sports fans are sticklers for superstitions and hardcore believers in curses. Yesterday, I blogged about a possible curse of the NFL’s Pittsburg Steelers and I began thinking about other sports “curses.” Most don’t involve deaths (like the Steelers curse), but just bad luck. One of my favorite sports curses stories is that of the Billy Goat. I spent my 7th and 8th years living outside Chicago. Even though we were not in the city, most everything came to a stop when the Chicago Cubs played and I remember watching many games on television. Many fans … Continue reading →

Red Sox Fans Finally Forgive Buckner

It took 22 years, but the Boston Red Sox fans have finally forgiven Bill Buckner. What could Buckner have done that was so bad that it took so long for baseball fans to forgive him? Well, let me tell you the story: Back on October 25, 1986, the Boston Red Sox were a team who hadn’t won a World Series since 1981. Some thought the Red Sox had such a long losing streak due to the Curse of the Bambino, Babe Ruth. But, in 1986, they found themselves on the verge winning it all. It was game four, they were … Continue reading →

Play Ball!

A Good Friday storm dumped more than 15 inches of snow on Milwaukee (just south of us), yet residents there are remarkably undeterred. They whipped out their snow blowers and are anxiously waiting for the opening day of the regular baseball season, which takes place on Sunday. If you are a fan of the national pastime and can’t wait to crisscross the country to watch your favorite team try to earn a place in the World Series then you might be interested in knowing that several major hotels are making it easier for you to do so. Lodgings in most … Continue reading →