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...

Mays As A Met

Willie Mays ended his career where he began it.  New York City. His was a career of milestones.  As a rookie, Mays was a witness to baseball history.  On October 3, 1951, he was in the New York Giants on-deck circle when Bobby Thomson hit the Shot Heard ‘Round...

Ralph Houk: Filling Casey’s Shoes

When Ralph Houk took over the manager job for the New York Yankees, he had big shoes to fill.  Casey Stengel’s shoes. Houk guided the Yankees from 1961 to 1973, then took the helm of the Detroit Tigers from 1974 to 1978.  He finished his managerial career with...

Lou Gehrig, Baseball History, and July 4th

On my desk, a 25-cent Lou Gehrig stamp rests in a frame nestled on a plastic stand. It reminds me of Gehrig’s dedication to his baseball craft, reflected in 2,130 consecutive games played. It reminds me of Gehrig’s courage in facing Amyotrophic Lateral Sclerosis...