Carlos Zambrano’s Return to Baseball

I missed this completely last week — Carlos Zambrano is staging a baseball comeback, signing a deal with the Chicago Dogs, an independent league team in the Chicago area, and hoping that he can remake himself into a useful reliever and get picked up by an MLB team. Zambrano was that fiercely talented, short tempered,Continue reading “Carlos Zambrano’s Return to Baseball”

Negro League Night in York

We will start with a ending, and end with a beginning, as Gandalf says in Rankin-Bass’ underrated yet weird animated adaptation of Return of the King. I went to a York Revolution baseball game last night and came home with a Ross Detwiler game-used jersey. The Revolution were having a Negro League Night. From theContinue reading “Negro League Night in York”

Losing My Religion

Mike Pence and I have something in common. We both attended the now-defunct Christian rock festival Ichthus (“the Christian Woodstock” or some nonsense like that) in Kentucky and had significant experiences in our religious development there. For Pence, Ichthus was formative in becoming an evangelical Protestant. Pence was raised Catholic, his siblings remain Catholic toContinue reading “Losing My Religion”

Exploring Cemeteries in Edgecombe County

In 2012, I took a vacation. A brief one, just two days. I went to New York City to see the Lewis Chessmen. (Due to some poor planning on my part, I did not see them then; I had to go back over the weekend. Story of my life.) That was, sadly, my last vacationContinue reading “Exploring Cemeteries in Edgecombe County”

A Church Excursion

My sister asked me if I was interested in going to church, since it was Palm Sunday. “Well, I’m not going to burst into flame when I walk through the doors,” I replied It was a “contemporary” service, which I was unfamiliar with and was deeply strange to me. No familiar hymns, not much inContinue reading “A Church Excursion”

A Day of Baseball in Harrisburg

The Harrisburg Senators began their 2019 campaign on Thursday with an 8-4 victory over the Bowie Baysox. Friday night’s game was rained out and rescheduled for Saturday doubleheader. I had a ticket for Saturday’s night, one I bought the day individual tickets went on sale early in March. Now I was getting two games forContinue reading “A Day of Baseball in Harrisburg”

A Notable Relation and the Land of Pleasant Living

Yesterday I learned a cousin designed Mr. Boh, the one-eyed, mustachioed mascot of National Bohemian Beer, better known in the Baltimore area as Natty Boh. His name was Donald Fenhagen. He was the PR director for the National Brewing Company and, in addition to Mr. Boh, he was part of the team that came upContinue reading “A Notable Relation and the Land of Pleasant Living”

Take Me Out to the Ballgame

The 2019 baseball season has begun. The hapless Orioles have a winning record for the first time in a year, the Nationals and Cubs stumbled out of the starting gate, and the defending National League East champion Atlanta Braves are winless. Baseball is a long grind, a team is never as good as they lookContinue reading “Take Me Out to the Ballgame”