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...

1963: The Year of the Rookie

1963 was the Year of the Rookie, offering standout players from hitting masters to ace pitchers. Pete Rose débuted in ’63 with the Cincinnati Reds.  Nicknamed “Charlie Hustle” for his aggressive style of play, Rose compiled a record indicating...

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...

Jackie Robinson’s Inner Strength

On October 24, 1972, Jack Roosevelt Robinson died.  Nine days prior, he declared, “I am extremely proud and pleased to be here this afternoon, but must admit I’m going to be tremendously more pleased and more proud when I look at that third-base coaching line one day...

How Did the Giants Win the Pennant, Anyway?

1951 was supposed to be the Dodgers’ year, a vengeance-filled riposte of burgeoning against the baseball fates that determined the previous year’s National League pennant go to the Philadelphia Phillies on the last day of the 1950 season.  The paradigm repeated as...