Brett Phelps

Back in the day Griff and I collected a lot of sports memorabilia: all kinds of baseball and basketball cards, also various framed, autographed and otherwise notable balls, mini-balls, gloves, mini-gloves, pictures, plaques, and jerseys.  Some were bought with saved up allowance, others were gifts, and some we got waiting in long lines at public […]

Hank Molina was my first, and best, boss.  Hank had been the Farmington Amateur Baseball Congress Umpire in Chief since before I was born, and he turned eighty years old the year I started working for him as an ump.  Never a large man, Hank’s body had shriveled considerably by the time I met him, […]

As the Rangers, Yankees, Giants, and Phillies start the American and National league Championships and take one step closer towards their goal of a World Series title, a slew of dominating pitchers and devastating bats are set to face off. The first round of the playoffs was amazing and we can only hope that we […]

After six long months and 162 grueling games (not including spring training) the Major League Baseball playoffs are finally once again upon us. The competition has been whittled away to the cream of the crop and now only the guys who have strung together enough consistency, heart, and luck over the last half year are […]

The first time the Rays and Yankees played this season was April 9th at Tropicana Field. Both had taken two of three in their first series and were eager to keep the early season momentum rolling. This game was significant for two reasons. First, I was watching it from the right field bleachers and it […]

Only a few weeks remain in Major League Baseball’s regular season and there’s no reason for fans not to be thrilled; we’ve got fantastic finishes shaping up all around the league. In the National League West, the collapsing San Diego Padres, steady San Francisco Giants, and surging Colorado Rockies are battling for the division crown […]

Fighting in organized sports is generally frowned upon. When football turns to blows the players are described as barbarians, out of control monsters with little or no self control. When basketball teams slug it out they’re deemed thugs and hoodlums. But Wednesday night’s Nationals-Marlins game included one of baseball’s most time-honored traditions, the bench clearing […]

This time of year most kids are trudging back to school, reluctantly returning to once again counting down the days until vacation. Baseball season is long over and the biggest drama they’re facing is upcoming homework, projects and book reports. But one lucky group of kids gets to hold onto summer holiday a bit longer […]

Former Major Leaguer Bobby Thomson passed away Monday at the age of 86, but his 1951 “Shot Heard ‘Round the World” will undoubtedly live on as long as the game of baseball is played. Thomson’s walk-off homerun, which sent the New York Giants to the World Series over their bitter cross-town rival Brooklyn Dodgers, capped […]

The baseball blog Batter Chatter is a wonderful website where, as they put it, “baseball and language intersect.”  Each day Batter Chatter gives a break down on some unique baseball terminology, in the form of a definition and references to its historical usage.  As one who has always been as interested in the history and […]

There is much more to professional baseball, along with every other pro sport, than just the action taking place on the field. While it is the accomplishments and exploits between the foul lines that fans want to see, it is the out of site front office operations that are actually driving the billion dollar industry […]

It seems every small town holds its own annual festival of some sort, a social happening to bring the community together and give the few people there a reason to get out and celebrate collectively. For many places this event is the local fair, a chance for folks to show off their best quilting and […]

I’ll be the first person to tell you, I’m really not that big of a baseball fan.  I do enjoy watching the game live and I appreciate the talent it takes to play, but I don’t necessarily follow the everyday happenings or even watch matchups regularly.  What I enjoy most about baseball is its unique […]

One of my favorite things about baseball is the array of characters that have played the game over time.  In a sport where refined technique is as valued as raw athleticism, there is much more opportunity for people outside of the typical “jock” to excel.  Anyone with an oversized pituitary gland can dunk a basketball […]

The 2010 Major League Baseball trade deadline has come and gone and once again ended with GMs shouting out deals back and forth as frenetically as Wall Street floor traders. The two biggest names dealt before today’s deadline were pitchers Cliff Lee and Roy Oswalt. Lee has turned into quite the vagabond as of late, […]

Winning Major League Baseball’s Triple Crown is arguably the noblest distinction an offensive player can receive. To hit dominantly for both power and average is a tremendous feat and even if someone manages that, a good bit of luck is still necessary to provide the base runners necessary to bat runs in. As prevalent as […]

Few people would argue that former MLB pitcher Curt Schilling was a gamer. The guy’s fierce and sometimes angry competitiveness was well documented throughout his career; for many the most indelible memory of Schilling will always be his “bloody sock” performance in Game 6 of the 2004 ALCS. But what many people don’t know is […]

Fantasy sports provide average fans a way to feel connected with their favorite pastimes in an above average way.  Previously relegated to rooting on our home teams and beloved players in voiceless anonymity, we now have the pleasure of “owning” our own teams and “managing” them the way we see fit.  While fans in some […]

At first glance, there wouldn’t appear to be many similarities between the Tampa Bay Rays and the New York Yankees. The Yankees regularly top the league’s payroll, shelling out $206 million in player salaries to lead the way once again in 2010. This year the Rays have climbed to number 21 on the list and […]

The first Major League Baseball All-Star Game was played at Chicago’s Comiskey Park in 1933; organized in conjunction with the city’s World’s Fair by Chicago Tribune sports editor Arch Ward. The American League won 4-2 behind the stellar play of Babe Ruth, who not only hit the first home run in an All-Star Game history […]

Watching the World Cup has been a real treat for me this year because I have been blessed enough to take in matches the way God righteously intended when he gave us television: on a 50-something inch flatscreen in 1080p High-Definition picture. Being a broke college student most of the last half-decade, HDTV was nothing […]

While professional athletes ditching gold digging trophy wives is no novel concept, the recent divorce proceedings of Kansas City Royals catcher Jason Kendall and his estranged wife Chantel have remained frequent fodder for internet gossip sites like TMZ and RadarOnline and even recently made the jump to websites not concerned with the latest atrocious parenting […]

Be sure to check out Brett Phelps’s latest article over at youbeenblinded.com Exploring Scott Boras’s statistical projections that helped score A-Rod $252 million Related Posts Longo’s Little Guys Battle Jeter’s Bronx Bullies Curt Schilling Is an Uber-Dork Evan Longoria and the Rays Battle Baseball’s Evil Empire C’mon Bud, Let’s Bring the Fun Back to the […]

“Who hits the ball and makes it go? Dominic DiMaggio./ Who runs the bases fast, not slow? Dominic DiMaggio./ Who’s better than his brother Joe? Dominic DiMaggio./ But when it comes to gettin’ dough, they give it all to brother Joe.” Growing up, my older brother Griff was always the baseball player of the family.  […]

Grips seams tight in glove Lets loose a blazing fastball Circle K – sit down Related Posts Mo’ Money, Mo’ Problems Dom DiMaggio: Baseball’s Biggest Little Brother Wee Willie Who?

Hat trick plus uno Awful day for fantasy Golden sombrero

“Love has its sonnets galore. War has its epics in heroic verse. Tragedy its sombre story in measured lines. Baseball has Casey at the Bat.” – Albert Spalding This is my modern take (my remix, if you will) on Ernest L. Thayer’s classic 1888 poem, Casey at the Bat. Anyone that takes the time to […]

Legendary college hoops coach John Wooden passed away last Friday, June 4.  The renowned strategist and mentor, best known for his 10 titles in 12 seasons at UCLA, was ninety nine years young.  Wooden was revered by those who played under his tutelage, remembered fondly as a strict disciplinarian and master motivator.  He accumulated a […]

May 31, 2010 I was certainly more raised on baseball than I was on hip hop.  I was whiffing at balls on a tee for my preschool squad and Baltimore choppin’ in the batting cages before Biggie and Pac ever started beefin’.  I knew California Love and was vaguely familiar with some other more popular […]

May 26, 2010 Of all the projectiles used in today’s four most popular professional sports, no air-borne apparatus is more deadly more than the baseball.  The worst damage a football or basketball will usually ever do is jam a finger or break a nose (sorry, Stuart Scott).  A hokey puck is comparable to a baseball […]

May 24, 2010 I was talking to Dee the other day about something that I find to be one of the coolest parts of the game of baseball and its inherently individualistic nature, walk-up intro music.  There is no other team sport in which every player on the field gets so many exclusive moments.  A […]

May 23, 2010 As nothing more than a casual baseball fan that doesn’t play fantasy, I have always been more fascinated with all-time records and idiosyncrasies than the statistical minutiae most of you pore over regularly.  I would rather find Babe Ruth’s highest combined total of home runs hit and hot dogs consumed in a […]

May 9, 2010 Starting things off I have to give a huge shout out to Golden Sombrero Nation.  Lil’ Arlo has the site looking fresh and everyone has been throwing in nicely.  Two quick hollas: one to Dee, the fantasy guru of the dental world, and the other to Griff, America’s most dangerous high school […]