By T. C. Moore

As baseball fans, I’m sure we are all aware of the latest physical theory that states the universe — all energy and matter — is made of little tiny strings and actually sports a lot more dimensions than the three spatial dimensions we are aware of: 11 dimensions, as a matter of fact, counting the time dimension. Apparently, the additional spatial dimensions are wrapped up like tiny tubes, so we don’t notice them, even though we move through them constantly.

Well, if you’re still with me, then let’s add just one more spatial dimension and play ball! (more…)

By Tommy T

To say that this movie has just about everything a movie could offer would not be an exaggeration. What do I mean by everything? How’s this for starters? Academy-Award winner (and pretty good athlete and one of the all-time great screen heartthrobs) Robert Redford . It’s an adaptation of a classic novel by another Academy-Award winning director, Barry Levinson. You want gorgeous women who can act? How about Tony-Award winning and 5-time Oscar-nominated actress, Glenn Close, Oscar nominee Barbara Hershey and one of the most beautiful women in Hollywood – Oscar winner, Kim Basinger? Okay, so the women are all top-notch, what about the men??? Again, nothing but all-stars — including Academy-Award winner Robert Duvall — and solid character actors such as Wilford Brimley, Robert Prosky, Darren McGavin, and Oscar nominee, Richard Farnsworth. (And it was filmed at War Memorial Stadium in my hometown, Buffalo, New York. Yes, that’s a big plus — and a whole other article!) (more…)

By Dick Fitzgerald

(This article first appeared in the March/April 2000 edition of International Baseball Rundown® magazine and has been reprinted by permission.)

Tuesday, March 7, 2000
My wife, Sally, and I left Seattle headed for Cancun. Our stay there for four days was to prepare for our “illegal” entry into Cuba. Legal or illegal, we were informed that we would be part of the first ever senior men’s team from America to play baseball in Cuba. The operative word is “senior,” although we were merely 20-year-old kids in 60-plus bodies.

Wednesday-Friday, March 8-10, 2000
Being from Seattle, we spent these few days in the Mexican sun for a quick “spring training.” Actually, we did more relaxing than working out.

(more…)

By Steve Lombardi

A World Series sweep is an exceptional incident. It also stirs either extreme jubilation or great sadness for hometown fans of the participants. For the winning side, the source of utmost delight is obvious — your team excelled while never experiencing the finality of a loss. For fans rooting for the eventual losing team, the pain is numbing — having the still somewhat fresh and resonating joy of the triumphant Pennant chase completely washed over by a tidal wave of their Series opponent’s dominance, without striking even a single shot against their foe. (more…)

A song by Allen Levi

Where were you when he stepped up to the batter’s box
Where were you when he hovered at the plate
Where were you on the moment he made history
On the 8th day of September nineteen hundred ninety eight

Where were you when he took our minds off all our cares
Where were you when he almost missed first base
Where were you when the whole world stopped to celebrate
When with a single stroke he put a smile on every face

I was changing strings on my guitar
Sitting in a straight back chair
But I jumped right up like the hometown crowd
And cheered like I was really there

Where were you when he picked his son up at the plate
And when he hugged that good old Sammy Sosa just the same
Where were you when everybody got along
And the game was so much more, so much more than just a game

We all need heroes good and big and strong
Seems we found one over in St. Lou
Where were you at 9:18 that Tuesday night
Where were you when McGwire hit 62?

(Written 9/9/1998. Copyright (c) Allen C. Levi. Reprinted by permission.)

To hear this and other Allen Levi songs, please visit www.allenlevi.com.

(originally published in Baseball Ink Vol. 1, No. 2 – September 2000)