The First Angel

William Shakespeare, like other innovators, warned of worries that could prevent success—”Our doubts are traitors, and make us lose the good we oft might win, by fearing to attempt,” wrote the Bard in Measure for Measure. It is a certainty, of course, that...

The Great Brawl of ’84

Not since the St. Valentine’s Day Massacre had Chicago seen an eruption of violence like the one on May 27, 1984 at Wrigley Field—okay, not quite an apt comparison. A three-run homer in the second inning of a Cubs-Reds game ignited the fury.  With Leon Durham...

September, 1965

In the ninth month of 1965, baseball fans reveled in the aura of excellence displayed at major league ballparks. Ernie Banks, the jovial Cubs shortstop, whose trademark suggestion “Let’s play two!” indicates pure delight in playing baseball, knocked...

Ken Holtzman’s No-Hitters

During the summer of Woodstock, Hurricane Camille, and Neil Armstrong’s giant leap for mankind, Ken Holtzman escalated to legend status in the Friendly Confines when he pitched a no-hitter against the Braves.  Holtzman finished 1969 with a 17-13 record, 12...