By Bill Raven

I was playing shortstop. The batter hit a sharp grounder to my right, I dug it out of the dirt infield, set myself, and threw it six feet over the out stretched glove of the first baseman, who happened to be my older brother.

The years were 1946, 1947, and 1948. World War II had been won, and the surviving veterans were home and attending school, working at jobs in the area, or farming.

The area was central Kansas. We lived in or near small towns of 600 or so, surrounded by farms. These towns were formed six to eight miles apart as the railroads were built east to west in the 1880s and gave the surrounding farmers access to retail stores and transportation.

The playing season, of course, was summer. The temperature was in the 90s with high humidity. It was HOT! Few homes had air conditioning. Businesses might have had some form of crude air conditioning. (more…)

By Mike McCann

Mike McCann, age 24, has been a baseball fan as long as he can remember. He has a goal to visit every major and minor league baseball stadium. This regularly-appearing column will follow the progress of “Bunko” and his quest.

The 2000 season was a good one for me. I was able to see 26 major and minor league baseball games in 18 different stadiums. The eight new stadiums conquered this year were: Delmarva Shorebirds (Salisbury, MD), New Haven (CT) Ravens, Texas Rangers, Capital City Bombers, Sacramento River Cats, Oakland A’s, Queens (NY) Kings and Jamestown (NY) Jammers. Quite an interesting combination, if you ask me. (more…)

By Mike McCann

Mike McCann, age 24, has been a baseball fan as long as he can remember. He has a goal to visit every major and minor league baseball stadium. This regularly-appearing column will follow the progress of “Bunko” and his quest.

If I could at one point in my life say that I’ve been to a game in every city that currently has a major or minor league baseball team, I would feel that my quest has been accomplished. Currently, that number stands at 190…and I’m at number 23. It’s always good to set your goals high, right? (more…)

By Todd Newville

Former Cardinals Pitcher Harry “The Cat” Brecheen Was A Crafty Lefty For The 1946 World Series Champs

Former left-handed pitcher Harry “The Cat” Brecheen from Ada, Okla., didn’t need much help when he was on the mound for the St. Louis Cardinals in the 1940s. Brecheen usually helped himself out of jams because he was a crafty moundsman who threw a wicked screwball and handled a slick glove.

Like all cats, there were a few times during Brecheen’s tenure with the Cards when it looked like he would have to spend one of his nine lives to get out of a pickle. However, on one particular occasion, teammate Enos Slaughter made sure that Brecheen wouldn’t have to do that. (more…)