The Decade of Baseball Migration

The 1950s was a decade of change. Elvis Presley spearheaded the introduction of rock and roll, television replaced radio as the preferred mass medium for news and entertainment, and several baseball teams migrated westward—way westward for two teams, mid-westward for...

61 in ’61

In 1961, John F. Kennedy was inaugurated as the nation’s youngest elected president, The Dick Van Dyke Show débuted, and Alan Shepard became the first American astronaut in space. 1961 was also the year of Roger Maris and Mickey Mantle.  The M&M boys. As...

New Jersey’s Hall of Famers

New Jersey is more than the land of Bruce Springsteen, Tony Soprano, and the Meadowlands.  It is also the home state for three players in the Baseball Hall of Fame. In a career spanning 1888 to 1901, Billy Hamilton played for the Kansas City Cowboys, the Philadelphia...

Biz Mackey: Baseball’s Unsung Mentor

Without James Raleigh “Biz” Mackey, there would be no Roy Campanella. A three-time National League MVP and an eight-time National League All-Star, Campanella played for the Baltimore Elite Giants when Mackey managed the team.  Campanella was 15 years old,...

The Hall of Fame Case for Bill Buckner

“Little roller up along first.  Behind the bag!  It gets through Buckner!  Here comes Knight and the Mets win it!” Vin Scully’s broadcast of Mookie Wilson’s 10th inning ground ball in Game 6 of the 1986 World Series sends chills through the...