Harmon Killebrew, Lew Burdette, and the Red Seat

When Harmon Killebrew died in 2011, obituaries recalled the statement of former Baltimore Orioles manager Paul Richards:  “Killebrew can knock the ball out of any park, including Yellowstone.” Killebrew’s power resulted in 573 home runs in a 22-year...

1969

As described by German Prussian politician Otto von Bismarck, politics is the art of the possible.  So is baseball.  When the New York Mets defeated the Baltimore Orioles to win the 1969 World Series, possible elevated to miraculous. Once again, National League...

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...

When Gilligan Got Rescued

Gilligan’s Island aired on CBS from 1964 to 1967, giving television viewers a weekly escape to an oasis where silliness reigned.  About 1o years after leaving prime time, Gilligan’s Island resurfaced, thanks to creator Sherwood Schwartz pondering the fates...

James Bond: The Beginning

When President John F. Kennedy declared Ian Fleming to be a favorite author, he unknowingly triggered a popular culture trend.  Kennedy’s statement established Fleming’s creation of fictional spy James Bond as the standard against which spy genre...