Sports Then and Now

What Could Have Been? The 1994 Montreal Expos had the best record in baseball at the time of the strike.

Had Major League Baseball and the Baseball Players Association made some different choices 15 years ago, September 2009 might have been a great time to be a fan of the Montreal Expos. If I close my eyes, I can almost picture it.

The City of Montreal is a buzz for baseball with record crowds filling the new state-of-the-art downtown stadium to watch the Expos battle for another National League Eastern Division crown.

Fans are also excited to relive the memories from 15 years ago when the 1994 Montreal Expos forever solidified a place for baseball in Montreal with a thrilling run to a World Series title.

Indeed what a run it was.

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To be honest, I’m not very sure how legit this is or who this person’s source is, but the Spanish language web site DominicanosHOY.com has had on its site since late June an article that  includes a list of 103 major league baseball players that are supposedly names on the infamous “Steroid List”

Personally I hope it is the list and we can finally know the players in the “steroid era” that have tested positive in the past. This would end all the stupid steroid speculation on the list and end all of the he said/she said rumors of who is on the list and who isn’t.

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It all started with a thunderstorm.

On June 16^th, I was all set to attend the first game of the Crosstown Classic between the Cubs and the White Sox at Wrigley Field.  Then Mother Nature struck, postponing the game.

Instead of playing a double header, the game was rescheduled for the first mutual off day, September 3^rd.  As fate would have it, the Chicago Bears, the team for whom I hold season tickets, just happened to be playing their fourth and final preseason game on that same day.

I’ve been racking my brain, and I can’t think of another time when a Chicagoan, or a fan from any city for that matter, would have the chance to attend a full game of three major sports teams from their hometown in the same day.  While I’m lucky enough to be the one going, it would be rude of me not to share it with those of you in the Sports Then and Now community.

So get ready, because starting with my arrival in Wrigleyville and lasting until the final whistle in Soldier Field, I’ll be coming to you live from both games via the World Wide Interweb.  Using just my phone and that fancy Twitter application, I’ll be live blogging from in and around both Wrigley Field and Soldier Field, bringing you all the action and perspective from a fan lucky enough to be at both games (in increments of 140 characters or less).

I’ll be posting the updates to the site as often as I can, but for the most up-to-date posts, check out the LIVE BLOG. Read the rest of this entry →

While hanging around Fenway Park one afternoon last month, I found myself with an hour or so to kill before the Cask n’ Flagon opened for business. I spent a few minutes talking to my buddy Mike at the Sausage King and then moseyed over to do some shopping time with one of the street corner t-shirt entrepreneurs.

Once I was done thumbing through t-shirts that explained what A-Rod allegedly does to Jeter and what Jeter then in turn does to Teixeira, I spotted a less explicit dud which read, “Caution Yankees: Objects in Rear View Mirror Are Closer Than They May Appear”.

I chuckled and knew this fine looking, 100% cotton dud would find it’s new home to be smack dab in the middle of a bunch of previous “must haves”.

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Joe and Natalie Niekro

It’s funny how life sometimes brings you down a path you didn’t plan to walk down. You welcome its existence and take the first step with a slight sense of trepidation.

A Glove of Their Own is a story of the joy of baseball and the joy of giving.

While players with multi-million dollar contracts playing in billion dollar stadiums have become the public face of baseball, at its core the game remains a cherished pastime for children playing on empty lots or little league fields across America.

An inspirational children’s book, A Glove of Their Own, is helping focus minds and memories away from the big-time nature of America’s Pastime and back where it belongs, on the game and the kids who grow up playing for the shear love of the game.

“It’s about the joy of baseball and the joy of giving,” said Bob Salomon, the man behind the movement to turn this award winning children’s book into a national crusade.
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